personal

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

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: personal in a Sentence

Definition of personal

1 : of, relating to, or affecting a particular person : private, individual

personal ambition

personal financial gain

2 a : 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

5 a : 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

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

Judge Leighton had personal experience as the target of injustice.

— bryan marquard, BostonGlobe.com, "Judge George N. Leighton, pioneering black lawyer and jurist, dies at 105," 11 June 2018
Her dedication and personal experience with her cause makes her one of the most effective lobbyists in Washington.

— grace donnelly, Fortune, "Angela Merkel Gets Tough on Trade, 'Ocean's 8' Tops the Box Office, and the Fortune MPW International Summit begins in London: Broadsheet for June 11," 11 June 2018
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images. The internet is buzzing with recent images shared from Jay Z and Beyoncé’s On The Run II tour, which seems to be a very personal experience.

— refinery29.com, "Beyoncé & Jay Z’s Tour Book Is Way More Intimate Than We Expected," 10 June 2018
Additionally, Dominique has shared her personal experiences in documentaries including Visible: The LGBTQ Caribbean Diaspora and My Truth, My Story.

— allie fasanella, Teen Vogue, ""Pose" Is Making Television History With These 5 Transgender Actors," 10 June 2018
An initiative proposed for the November ballot, the California Consumer Privacy Act, would give consumers the ability to block companies from marketing their personal information.

— author: stuart leavenworth, Anchorage Daily News, "DNA testing is like the 'Wild West.' Should it be more tightly regulated?," 9 June 2018
The line, which can be reached at 866-359-7953, is staffed by people who have had personal experiences with mental health or addiction recovery, Larson said.

— tessa weinberg, chicagotribune.com, "Local mental health providers get more calls as rate of suicide rises in Illinois, nationally," 8 June 2018
Levin tapped her connections at the Grotto to cajole a host of esteemed writers into writing about their personal experiences with animals.

— david ferry, San Francisco Chronicle, "Food critic Rachel Levin contemplates close encounters of the animal kind," 7 June 2018
The Florida grand jury also indicted Riess on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft and criminal use of personal identification information of a deceased individual.

— Fox News, "Grand jury indicts fugitive grandma in Florid slaying," 6 June 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.

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

personal Synonyms

personal

noun

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

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
The Pacers had a foul to give, but Thaddeus Young, wearing five personals, was not the wisest choice as James' defender.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers 2018: James' 44-point, last-shot masterpiece wins Game 5: Bill Livingston (photos)," 26 Apr. 2018
But in the current fiscal year, lawmakers cut the budget for the program in half, to about $3.6 million, and its staff of mediators, supervisors and support personal was reduced to 20 from 50.

— kenneth r. gosselin, courant.com, "Future Is Uncertain For State's Groundbreaking Foreclosure Mediation Program," 26 Apr. 2018
American Heritage’s Anthony Schwartz and Tyson Campbell and Chaminade-Madonna’s Shaun Shivers hold three of the four fastest 100-meter-dash personal bests for a high school sprinter in Florida this season.

— david furones, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Anthony Schwartz, Shaun Shivers and Tyson Campbell post blazing times at districts," 13 Apr. 2018
Immediately following the passage of the bill, which had already been approved by the House and is expected to be signed into law by President Trump, Craigslist killed its personals.

— michael andor brodeur, BostonGlobe.com, "Grindr, Craigslist, and the virtual erosion of LGBTQ turf," 5 Apr. 2018
Shows like this are all about spreading visions of the future, through personal, up-close interactions with the coolest concepts and hottest products designers could muster.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "This Week in the Future of Cars: Back to Normal?," 30 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of personal

1860

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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PERSONAL Defined for English Language Learners

personal

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

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

—

personally

adverb

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personal

Definition of personal

Examples of personal in a Sentence

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personal

Definition of personal

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PERSONAL Defined for English Language Learners

personal

Definition of personal for English Language Learners

PERSONAL Defined for Kids

personal

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personally

Law Dictionary

personal

legal Definition of personal

personally

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