personal equation

American  

noun

1. the tendency to personal bias that accounts for variation in interpretation or approach and for which allowance must be made.

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personal equation British  

noun

1. the variation or error in observation or judgment caused by individual characteristics

2. the allowance made for such variation

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Etymology

Origin of personal equation

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Mr. Cox’s veto of the bill reflected varied political and personal equations in a state still receptive to a moderate brand of Republicanism exemplified by Senator Mitt Romney, local political figures and analysts said.

From New York Times

Fragility never seemed remotely part of Banks’s personal equation until October 1972 when his Ford Consul collided head-on with a van at a sharp bend following afternoon physiotherapy on a shoulder injury.

From The Guardian

Survival and success reside on one side of your personal equation — healing is on the other.

From Washington Post

Mr. Brof, one of the bartenders, talked about the personal equation — less to take home from tips.

From New York Times

It is regrettable that the “Big Three” risked so much by depending on the personal equation which could be obliterated by the possible subtraction of one of its principal members through the hand of fate.

From US News