personally

adverb

per·​son·​al·​ly ˈpərs-nə-lē 

ˈpər-sə-nə-

1

: in person

attend to the matter personally

2

: as a person : in personality

personally attractive but not very trustworthy

3

: for oneself : as far as oneself is concerned

personally, I don't want to go

4

: in a personal manner

don't take this personally

5

: in a way that involves someone's personal life

I don't know her personally. [=I have never met her]

often, specifically : in a way that involves someone's personal life as opposed to someone's work or job

I know her both personally and professionally.

Synonyms of personally

• immediately
• secretly
• in secret
• in private

Examples of personally in a Sentence

You will be held personally responsible for any losses or damages.

The player was personally criticized by his coach.

He blamed me personally for causing the problem.

I was personally offended by the article.

Recent Examples on the Web

Pope Leo personally pushed ahead with the visit In the aftermath of his surgery, many speculated that the trip would be canceled. — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026

Middleton had personally supported Carreno for Seat 1 because the two already volunteer together for the district. — Beth Kassab, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026

There are also numerous third-party options that integrate into digital banking platforms, and others that don’t require any technical integration or personally identifiable information (PII) at all. — Brian Reilly, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Whatever one thinks of Ye personally, his influence on fashion and music is undeniable. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing personally

• take it personally

Rhymes for personally

• impersonally

Kids Definition

personally

adverb

per·​son·​al·​ly ˈpərs-nə-lē 

-ᵊn-ə-

1

: in person

attend to the matter personally

2

: as a person : in personality

personally attractive

3

: for oneself : as far as oneself is concerned

personally, I am against it