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personal day

American  
[pur-suh-nl dey] / ˈpɜr sə nl ˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. a day that an employee chooses to take off from work for personal reasons.

    I took a personal day to attend my sister's graduation.


Etymology

Origin of personal day

First recorded in 1970–75

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.

See Examples For:

Does this count as a sick day, or would I need to use a personal day?

From MarketWatch May 11, 2026

I hit the submit button, and a second later came my answer: “Your personal day of death is Wednesday, April 23, 2031.”

From Washington Post Jan. 29, 2023

It offered a pay rise, an additional personal day and a few other benefits - but no paid sick leave.

From BBC Dec. 2, 2022

Akers didn’t practice with the Rams on Thursday, taking a personal day after practicing fully Wednesday.

From Seattle Times Oct. 13, 2022

We make a big group at the local community college, all of us kids, Mr. Hameed, and Dad, who took a personal day off from work.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

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