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adjective per·son·al \ˈpərs-nəl, ˈpər-sə-nəl\

Definition of personal

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 personb : 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 Fischerb : 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

See personal defined for English-language learners

See personal defined for kids

Examples of personal in a Sentence

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 of personal from the Web

His law minister was a Hindu, and both his second wife and his personal doctor were Zoroastrians.

— The Economist, "Post-partum depressionSeventy years of Indo-Pakistani enmity," 22 July 2017
After departures and personal stock sales, the stake held by bank’s most senior rank slipped to 4.79 percent as of July 3, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday.

— dakin campbell, Bloomberg.com, "Goldman Partners Mark End of Era as Stock Holding Drops Below 5%," 20 July 2017
A basketball court floor and a hoop hanging on the wall adds a personal touch to Will's room.

— madeleine winer, The Courier-Journal, "Coastal meets Southern rustic in this elegant Goshen estate," 20 July 2017
Watson posted the story about Chris on his personal Facebook page, accompanied by a long rant. Chris’

— pam mandel, Longreads, "A Whale Hunt on Facebook," 20 July 2017
Richie Murray guided people through the exhibit, even showing some of his own personal photos to the group.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Exhibit brings 9/11 history to Lake County," 19 July 2017
The finest war movies examine the personal struggles within the larger framework of a battle: the eye-level conflict.

— jon niccum, kansascity, "What’d he say? ‘Dunkirk’ fights the good fight, but parts are unintelligible," 19 July 2017
No matter the case, the personal life and daily routine of a juror is interrupted and put on hold.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: The importance of jury service," 19 July 2017
But in my client's personal spaces, the coloration turns to pale blues and pinks.

— douglas brenner, House Beautiful, "This Quirky Adirondacks Lake House Is the Opposite of "Roughing It"," 13 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of personal

Middle English, from Anglo-French personel, from Late Latin personalis, from Latin persona

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

personal

noun per·son·al

Definition of personal

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

Recent Examples of personal from the Web

Age: 34 Post: Founder and CEO of Stitch Fix Personal: Lives in San Francisco with her husband and their 9-month-old baby.

— tracey lien, The Seattle Times, "Stitch Fix founder built one of the few successful e-commerce subscription services," 18 June 2017
Personal: Also considered attending Kentucky and Ohio State.

— oregonian/oregonlive sports, OregonLive.com, "'Blazer Banter' event offers fans a chance to talk Trail Blazers basketball with reporters on Wednesday," 12 June 2017
Painted him as the picture of personal and professional integrity.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "Only Nick Saban has more support than Hugh Freeze," 11 June 2017
Backlund, 67, mentioned his autobiography, covering 66 years of personal and professional life.

— jim varsallone, miamiherald, "Long walk home a turning point for WWE alum Bob Backlund," 22 May 2017
Example: Who would post an ad on the personals page of a local newspaper?

— kim komando, USA TODAY, "20 things we don’t do anymore because of technology," 5 May 2017
Earlier Tuesday, the Star Tribune reported that Ramos had filed for personal bankruptcy protection in 2009 and had not disclosed that fact.

— josh verges, Twin Cities, "Finalist quits race for St. Paul schools superintendent," 28 Mar. 2017

First Known Use of personal

1860

PERSONAL Defined for English Language Learners

personal

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adjective

Definition of personal for English Language Learners

: 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

PERSONAL Defined for Kids

personal

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adjective per·son·al \ˈpər-sə-nəl\

Definition of personal for Students

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.

personally

adverb

Law Dictionary

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
2 : of, relating to, or constituting personal property personal effects — see also personal property at property — compare real