personally

American  

[pur-suh-nl-ee] / ˈpɜr sə nl i /

adverb

1. through direct contact; in person; directly.

   I will thank him personally.

2. as if intended for or directed at one's own person.

   to take someone's comments personally.

3. as regards oneself.

   Personally, I don't care to go.

4. as an individual.

   to like someone personally, but not as an employer.

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personally British  

/ ˈpɜːsənəlɪ /

adverb

1. without the help or intervention of others

   I'll attend to it personally

2. (sentence modifier) in one's own opinion or as regards oneself

   personally, I hate onions

3. as if referring to oneself

   to take the insults personally

4. as a person

   we like him personally, but professionally he's incompetent

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Etymology

Origin of personally

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; personal + -ly

Explanation

When you do something personally, you do it yourself. If you promise you'll personally sell Girl Scout cookies to your neighbors, you can't just put flyers in their mailboxes or make your brother knock on their doors. Doing things personally means doing them in person, often not involving anyone else. If the grand prize of a contest involves your favorite movie star personally driving you around Hollywood in a Rolls Royce, it means she'll be the one behind the wheel. Another way to use this word is to mean "privately," as when someone's work life is great but they're really struggling personally. You can also use personally to refer to yourself: "Personally, I prefer vanilla ice cream."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

personally

States collect detailed birth and death records, but when those records are compiled nationally, personally identifiable information is removed.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

“I have personally reviewed the video and want to assure our community that we take every use of force seriously,” his statement read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

How many charters do you go on personally?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

"The personification of the club with two of the most senior figures in Abu Dhabi make it likely that the leadership in the UAE will take the ruling very personally," said Ulrichsen.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The young women were “spellbound” when they found themselves face-to-face with their national hero, who personally invited them to join the others signing up at the Zhukovsky Academy meeting point.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• directly
• individually
• privately