per·son·al·ism
ˈpərs-nə-ˌli-zəm 
ˈpər-sə-nə-
: a doctrine emphasizing the significance, uniqueness, and inviolability of personality
plural -s
1
: a writer of personalia
2
: an advocate of personalism
"
: concerned with or oriented toward personalism
a personalist theme
Examples of personalism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2025
Loyalty to the leader, not the law Security force personalism happens when leaders reshape the country’s security forces by purging nonpartisan, law-abiding officers and promoting loyal officers who would never rise through the ranks on merit.
—Joe Wright, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025
Unpredictability In personalism thinking, the act of creation revolves around the exercise of freedom beyond necessity.
—Iese Business School, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
What is personalism?
—Ryce Stoughtenborough, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 June 2021
On the Sister’s website, Monica Beemer, a former director, offered a tribute: Genny always led with a gentle, yet formidable presence, centering Sisters’ work on the core principles of gentle personalism, nonviolence, and the practice of dining with dignity.
—oregonlive, 26 Aug. 2020
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Noun
In an age of personalism, individual leaders’ idiosyncrasies, dispositions, and emotions matter more than ever, yielding large policy swings when leaders change office.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2025
Loyalty to the leader, not the law Security force personalism happens when leaders reshape the country’s security forces by purging nonpartisan, law-abiding officers and promoting loyal officers who would never rise through the ranks on merit.
—Joe Wright, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025
Unpredictability In personalism thinking, the act of creation revolves around the exercise of freedom beyond necessity.
—Iese Business School, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
What is personalism?
—Ryce Stoughtenborough, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 June 2021
On the Sister’s website, Monica Beemer, a former director, offered a tribute: Genny always led with a gentle, yet formidable presence, centering Sisters’ work on the core principles of gentle personalism, nonviolence, and the practice of dining with dignity.
—oregonlive, 26 Aug. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Personalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personalism. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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