personally

[ pur-suh-nl-ee ]

/ ˈpɜr sə nl i /

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adverb

through direct contact; in person; directly: I will thank him personally.

as if intended for or directed at one's own person: to take someone's comments personally.

as regards oneself: Personally, I don't care to go.

as an individual: to like someone personally, but not as an employer.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of personally

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at personal, -ly

Words nearby personally

personalization, personalize, personalized medicine, personal liberty, personal loan, personally, personal-opinion telegram, personal organizer, personal pension, personal pronoun, personal property

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use personally in a sentence

The abuser, who hadn’t created the pornographic images personally and didn’t use Mort’s real name, had walked a careful line to avoid any actions deemed illegal under UK harassment law.
Deepfake porn is ruining women’s lives. Now the law may finally ban it|Karen Hao|February 12, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Thank you for your support, not only for me personally, but all of the things that you do for all of us drivers.
Ryan Newman returns to Daytona 500, with no memory of 2020 crash and ‘therefore no fear’|Cindy Boren|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
People often wrote actionable things about others but were seldom, if ever, sued personally for what they had said, the only recourse allowed under the new law.
Twenty-Six Words Created the Internet. What Will It Take to Save It?|Stephen Engelberg|February 9, 2021|ProPublica
We were all better off for knowing him personally and professionally.
Pedro Gomez, ESPN baseball reporter, dies at 58|Ben Strauss|February 8, 2021|Washington Post

Bezos’s own interests have changed over the years as he personally pushed into new industries.
Jeff Bezos stepping down as Amazon CEO, transitioning to executive chair role|Jay Greene, Tony Romm|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
“Personally, I deal with manners of righteousness and God,” he says.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Various clerks said that they personally would not issue gay marriage licenses.
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over|Jay Michaelson|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Again, I do not know House Majority Whip Scalise or President Obama personally.
Reverend Jeremiah Wright Was Worse Than Scalise|Ron Christie|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Someone once asked me, did I find writing personally cathartic.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, Malone seems to be in a very good place—both personally, and professionally.
Jena Malone’s Long, Strange Trip From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom|Marlow Stern|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They love love of all things in the world, but there are very few men whom they love personally.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
I have not heard of a case of any one being personally insulted by an Austrian since I have been in Italy.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
At the feet of Solomon Jesus also was sitting, and he certainly did not call himself personally greater than Solomon.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
The nasty scandal at the Pandemonium had been particularly irritating to Haggard personally.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Personally, the English do not attract nor shine; but collectively they are a race to make their mark on the destinies of mankind.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for personally

personally

/ (ˈpɜːsənəlɪ) /

adverb

without the help or intervention of othersI'll attend to it personally

(sentence modifier) in one's own opinion or as regards oneselfpersonally, I hate onions

as if referring to oneselfto take the insults personally

as a personwe like him personally, but professionally he's incompetent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

personally

Origin of personally

Words nearby personally

Words related to personally

How to use personally in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for personally