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personal space

American  

noun

  1. the variable and subjective distance at which one person feels comfortable talking to another.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But so is her disregard of her colleagues’ personal space.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

For some, withdrawing into a small personal space and lowering expectations seems like a rational, even self-protective, response.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 25, 2025

These findings are inconsistent with previous studies which report that sympathetic activity, or the "fight or flight" response, is activated when a stranger invades our personal space.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2024

Hair and makeup is such a personal space.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2024

Jacqui has her elbows out, trying to keep her personal space.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.