personally

adverb per·son·al·ly \ ˈpərs-nə-lē , ˈpər-sə-nə- \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of personally

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

See personally defined for English-language learners

See personally defined for kids

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 of personally from the Web

Today, Smith is looking forward to what the future holds for her, both professionally and personally.

— stephanie nolasco, Fox News, "'Charlie's Angels' star Jaclyn Smith reflects on battling breast cancer, TV show past," 10 Apr. 2018
The city’s been very good to me personally, obviously.

— lindsay weinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "Jack Black Hosts My Friend’s Place Gala Honoring Miley Cyrus," 9 Apr. 2018
Though YouTube has every right to dictate its policies, creators took the move personally, seeing it as a direct threat to their livelihoods.

— david pierson, latimes.com, "Like many content creators, YouTube shooter had a grievance with the video site. No one expected it to turn violent," 5 Apr. 2018
Northwest The mild winter personally felt like a blessing, but warm conditions also helped ants survive the season.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "Bug Populations Are Expected to Explode This Spring," 4 Apr. 2018
But Gasol knows not to take things personally when reprimanded.

— jabari young, San Antonio Express-News, "Playing for Pop," 2 Apr. 2018
But perhaps few were as personally struck as the caretakers who had the crucial job of protecting his life.

— National Geographic, "Last Male Northern White Rhino Sudan Remembered in Ceremony," 31 Mar. 2018
Dickinson, with attorney Lisa Bloom, sued Cosby for defamation in May 2015, saying Singer's comments hurt her professionally and personally.

— eric levenson, CNN, "Janice Dickinson to testify at Bill Cosby's retrial," 29 Mar. 2018
This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s fiery statement about Sessions’s decision to fire him," 17 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of personally

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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personally Synonyms

Phrases

in private, in secret;

PERSONALLY Defined for English Language Learners

personally

adverb

Definition of personally for English Language Learners

—used to say that something was done or will be done by a particular person and not by someone else
—used to say that someone knows a person or thing from personal experience and not because of someone else
: in a way that involves a particular person and no one else

Learn More about personally

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for personally Spanish Central: Translation of personally Nglish: Translation of personally for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of personally for Arabic speakers

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