personal

adjective

per·son·al | \ ˈpərs-nəl

, ˈpər-sə-nəl\

Definition of personal

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or affecting a particular person : private, individual personal ambition personal financial gain

2a : done in person without the intervention of another also : proceeding from a single person

b : carried on between individuals directly a personal interview

3 : relating to the person or body

4 : relating to an individual or an individual's character, conduct, motives, or private affairs often in an offensive manner a personal insult

5a : being rational and self-conscious personal, responsive government is still possible— John Fischer

b : having the qualities of a person rather than a thing or abstraction a personal devil

6 : of, relating to, or constituting personal property a personal estate

7 : denoting grammatical person

8 : intended for private use or use by one person a personal stereo

personal

noun

Definition of personal (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a short newspaper paragraph relating to the activities of a person or a group or to personal matters

2 : a short personal communication in a special column of the classified ads section of a newspaper or periodical

3 : personal foul

Other Words from personal Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about personal

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Examples of personal in a Sentence

Adjective

This is just my personal opinion. I can only tell you what I know from personal experience. He added his own personal touches to the recipe. We don't accept personal checks. He is a personal friend of mine. She is always concerned about her personal appearance. We provide each of our customers with personal service. Golf is a personal interest of mine. May I ask you a personal question? That information is very personal, and you have no business asking about it.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

For Koondhoor, electronic music provided the conduit for her own personal expression. — Vogue, "This All-Female DJ Collective Wants to Empower the Women of Shanghai’s Nocturnal World," 15 May 2019 Despite Savannah seeming slightly mortified at the story, Jenna shared yet another personal secret about her. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "See 'Today' Star Jenna Bush Hager Blurt Out the Most CRINGE-Y Secret About Savannah Guthrie," 15 May 2019 Her visit came as momentum is building in Washington for a national privacy law that could sharply rein in the ability of the largest tech companies to collect and make money from people’s personal data. — Marcy Gordon, The Seattle Times, "EU official: New US privacy law won’t copy European regime," 12 Apr. 2019 But people are more concerned about governments using AI for sensitive decisions affecting personal liberties, such as setting prison sentences in criminal cases, according to a global survey by the Boston Consulting Group. — John Murawski, WSJ, "Global Acceptance of AI Grows, but Many Still Wary of Government Use," 4 Mar. 2019 An adjective that best describes your personal style is... Flowers at the farmer’s market! — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "BHLDN's Bridesmaid Dress Quiz Will Help You Choose a Color in Less Than Three Minutes," 29 Apr. 2019 Neal had requested six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns. — Andrew Taylor, The Seattle Times, "House Democrat, treasury chief bicker over Trump tax returns," 14 Apr. 2019 Williams, whose personal style is far different from that of her tomboyish character Arya, wore a custom bubblegum pink dress by Coach to the event. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams Were Too Cute at the Game of Thrones Premiere in Belfast," 12 Apr. 2019 Plenty of people don't spend Valentine's Day with their significant other for any number of reasons, including distance, work obligations, or just personal preference. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Did Chase Chrisley and Girlfriend Lindsey Merrick Break Up?," 21 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Emma Llansó of the Center for Democracy & Technology said Craigslist has already shut down its personals, missed connections and dating sections, many of which have long had innocent intents. — Tom Jackman, Washington Post, "Trump signs ‘FOSTA’ bill targeting online sex trafficking, enables states and victims to pursue websites," 11 Apr. 2018 Silbert told The Sacramento Bee in an interview that Newsom attended Delancey Street Foundation roughly once a week for three years for personal and group therapy. — Angela Hart, sacbee, "Gavin Newsom didn't really go to rehab | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Apr. 2018 Some dating sites and Craigslist’s personals page have already fallen victim to the new laws. — Susan Elizabeth Shepard, Vox, "It’s International Whores’ Day. Let’s talk about why strippers need better labor laws.," 1 June 2018 Police found that the boy had posted an ad on Craigslist.org under Hartford/personals/casual encounters. — Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, "Manchester Man Faces Federal Child Porn Charges," 26 Apr. 2018 The online site, which features free classified ads for everything from jobs to housing to dump trucks, shut down its personals sections Friday for U.S. sites. — Don Sweeney, sacbee, "Craigslist ditches personals ads following passage of sex-trafficking law | The Sacramento Bee," 25 Mar. 2018 On the 40-yard dash, try for personal bests in both attempts because the times are averaged, but decelerate gradually to avoid pulling a muscle. — Liz Clarke, chicagotribune.com, "'Super agents' rep 75 percent of NFL players. It's a competitive fight to sign the rest.," 20 Apr. 2018 One of them feels personal: Gomes cast his girlfriend and best friend to portray a couple getting engaged on a beach. — Muri Assunção, Billboard, "Meet Nuno Gomes, the Director Behind Videos From Latin Superstars Ozuna and Natti Natasha," 21 May 2018 In one sting, a deputy posted an ad in the personals section on doublelist.com. — David Harris, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Operation reduces crime, drug overdoses, sheriff's office says," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'personal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for personal

personal

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of personal

: belonging or relating to a particular person

: made or designed to be used by one person

—used to describe someone whose job involves working for or helping a particular person

See the full definition for personal in the English Language Learners Dictionary

personal

adjective

per·son·al | \ ˈpər-sə-nəl

Kids Definition of personal

1 : of, relating to, or belonging to an individual human being : not public : not general personal property

2 : made or done by a particular individual and not by someone acting for him or her The mayor made a personal appearance.

3 : of the body Take precautions for personal safety.

4 : relating to someone's private matters May I ask you a personal question?

5 : intended for or given to one particular individual I received personal service.

6 : relating to a particular individual or his or her qualities often in a way that is hurtful I took the remark as a personal insult.

personal

adjective

per·son·al

Legal Definition of personal

1 : of, relating to, or affecting a person: as

a : of, relating to, or based on the existence or presence of a person — see also personal injury, personal jurisdiction at jurisdiction

b : of, relating to, or restricted to a natural person and his or her rights, obligations, affairs, assets, or lifetime refused to disclose personal information released on personal recognizance