first-person

1 of 2

adjective

first-per·​son ˈfərs(t)-ˈpər-sᵊn 

variants or less commonly first person

1

: of, relating to, or occurring in the first person

a first-person narrative

a first-person verb form

2

: experienced as if through the eyes of an avatar (as in a video game)

As 3-D first-person games evolved, … visual verisimilitude improved …

—Ian Bogost

When playing as the lead guitarist in first person mode players will see fans react to how they play.

—Sean Michael

see also first-person shooter

first person

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a set of linguistic forms (such as verb forms, pronouns, and inflectional affixes) referring to the speaker or writer of the utterance in which they occur

b

: a linguistic form belonging to such a set

c

: reference of a linguistic form to the speaker or writer of the utterance in which it occurs

2

: a style of discourse marked by general use of verbs and pronouns of the first person

Examples of first-person in a Sentence

Noun

She always wrote in the first person.

The sentence “I was born in Maine” is written in the first person.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

This revision constitutes most of the series’ narrative, justifying Park and McKellar’s sporadic repurposing of Nguyen’s first-person prose as voiceover. —Judy Berman, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024

Rogers is no longer reliant on confessional first-person writing. —Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Queen Elizabeth Gave Her Approval for the Interview In a first-person piece for The Times, Maitlis recalled negotiations leading up to the sit-down interview. —Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024

Set on a high bluff overlooking the Alabama River, the park presents a painstaking narrative history of slavery, using first-person recollections, historical artifacts, and more than fifty sculptures. —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

The first-person shooter role-playing game, originally created and produced by Gearbox Software and published by 2K in 2009, is a space Western known for its quirky characters and violent humor. —Ray Padilla, The Courier-Journal, 23 Mar. 2024

Lucas was also among some TikTokers who worried that the bill could lead to first-person perspectives being censored. —Daysia Tolentino, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024

The scenes in The Zone of Interest, showing her hiding apples in the mud, come from her first-person accounts. —Livia Paccariè, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024

Love followed a few weeks later with a first-person essay about his anxiety. —Tim Reynolds, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

first person

noun

1

: a set of words or forms (as pronouns or verb forms) referring to the person speaking or writing them

2

: a writing style making use of pronouns and verbs of the first person

first person narration