personal

[ pur-suh-nl ]

/ ˈpɜr sə nl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: personal / personals on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or coming as from a particular person; individual; private: a personal opinion.

relating to, directed to, or intended for a particular person: a personal favor; one's personal life; a letter marked “Personal.”

intended for use by one person: a personal car.

referring or directed to a particular person in a disparaging or offensive sense or manner, usually involving character, behavior, appearance, etc.: personal remarks.

making personal remarks or attacks: to become personal in a dispute.

done, carried out, held, etc., in person: a personal interview.

pertaining to or characteristic of a person or self-conscious being: That is my personal belief.

of the nature of an individual rational being.

pertaining to the body, clothing, or appearance: personal cleanliness.

provided for one's discretionary use: Employees are allowed 15 vacation days and two personal days.

Grammar.

noting person: In Latin portō “I carry,” -ō is a personal ending.
of, relating to, or characteristic of the personal pronoun, as English I, we, you, he, she, it, and they.

Law. of or relating to personal property: personal interests.

noun

a short news paragraph in a newspaper concerning a particular person, as one who is socially prominent, or a group of particular persons who are socially prominent.
a brief, private notice in a newspaper or magazine, often addressed to a particular person, and typically bearing an abbreviated salutation and signature to preserve its confidentiality, usually printed in a special part of the classified advertising section.
Also called personal ad . a similar notice, as in a newspaper or on a website, placed by a person seeking companionship, a spouse, etc.
Usually personals. a column, page, or section, as of a newspaper, magazine, or website, featuring such notices or items.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of personal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word persōnālis.See person, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM personal

per·son·al·ness, nounhy·per·per·son·al, adjectivehy·per·per·son·al·ly, adverbmul·ti·per·son·al, adjective

non·per·son·al, adjectivenon·per·son·al·ly, adverbqua·si-per·son·al, adjectivequa·si-per·son·al·ly, adverbsu·per·per·son·al, adjectivesu·per·per·son·al·ly, adverbun·per·son·al, adjectiveun·per·son·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH personal

personal , personnel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use personal in a sentence

A hilarious Craigslist personals posting in the "men seeking women" section may shed some light on this.
Rapper Jay Z’s Hyphen Looks For Love in Hilarious Craigslist Personals Ad|Marlow Stern|July 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Three magazine reporters, played by Aubrey Plaza, Jake M. Johnson, and Karan Soni, go to investigate the personals ad for a story.
Mark Duplass, Filmmaker and Star of ‘Safety Not Guaranteed,’ Ready for His Close-Up|Marlow Stern|June 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
You know those personals that ask you to complete the sentence “blank is sexy, but blank is sexier”?
10 Hot Valentines|Jessi Klein|February 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST
So far as relates to the personals, this will would be valid, though not signed by the testator, supposing no other will to exist.
Miles Wallingford|James Fenimore Cooper

I often look over the "Personals," for I know well the connection between fortune and the Press.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 9, May 28, 1870|Various
Wednesday was their big day and Helen worked hard all morning writing her personals.
Helen in the Editor's Chair|Ruthe S. Wheeler
Wonder how Dad will like our new editorial head and the three column box head I set for your personals?
Helen in the Editor's Chair|Ruthe S. Wheeler
A few moments later he found himself reading over and over a small notice inserted among the personals.
The Breaking Point|Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for personal

personal

/ (ˈpɜːsənəl) /

adjective

of or relating to the private aspects of a person's lifepersonal letters; a personal question

(prenominal) of or relating to a person's body, its care, or its appearancepersonal hygiene; great personal beauty

belonging to or intended for a particular person and no-one elseas a personal favour; for your personal use

(prenominal) undertaken by an individual himselfa personal appearance by a celebrity

referring to, concerning, or involving a person's individual personality, intimate affairs, etc, esp in an offensive waypersonal remarks; don't be so personal

having the attributes of an individual conscious beinga personal God

of or arising from the personalitypersonal magnetism

of, relating to, or denoting grammatical person

law of or relating to movable property, such as moneyCompare real 1 (def. 8)

noun

law an item of movable property

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

personal

Origin of personal

OTHER WORDS FROM personal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH personal

Words related to personal

How to use personal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for personal