personal pronoun

American  

[pur-suh-nl proh-noun] / ˈpɜr sə nl ˈproʊˌnaʊn /

noun

Grammar.

1. any one of the pronouns used to refer to the speaker, or to those to or about whom the speaker is speaking, as, in English, I, me, we, us, you, he, she, it, they, him, her, them.

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personal pronoun British  

noun

1. a pronoun having a definite person or thing as an antecedent and functioning grammatically in the same way as the noun that it replaces. In English, the personal pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, and they, and are inflected for case

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personal pronoun Cultural  

1. A pronoun that represents a person in a sentence. Personal pronouns have different forms depending on their case, gender, and number, as follows:

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Etymology

Origin of personal pronoun

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

For one couple whose garden is home to a creation of Procter’s, that life force feels so strong, they refer to the pot with a personal pronoun.

From Seattle Times • May 8, 2024

Megumi, who uses they as a personal pronoun, knew the man who did it, and where to find him.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2023

Seeing both versions across from each other helps emphasize that each personal pronoun has its counterpart.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

The situation provoked “constant anxiety,” said the doctor, who often uses they as a personal pronoun, as do many other nonbinary people.

From New York Times • Jul. 22, 2021

It was my second month of French class, and the teacher was leading us in an exercise designed to promote the use of one, our latest personal pronoun.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris