personally

adverb

per·​son·​al·​ly ˈpərs-nə-lē 

ˈpər-sə-nə-

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

5

: in a way that involves someone's personal life

I don't know her personally. [=I have never met her]

often, specifically : in a way that involves someone's personal life as opposed to someone's work or job

I know her both personally and professionally.

Synonyms of personally

• immediately
• secretly
• in secret
• in private

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 on the Web

Removing personally identifying information about gender and other potentially biasing characteristics can increase fair and consistent performance evaluations around AI use. — Michelle Travis, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Most Americans are inundated with scam attempts on a daily basis — and about 3 in 10 have personally lost money or personal information to scams, according to a new AP-NORC survey. — Amelia Thomson-Deveaux, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026

More than half of Gen Zers said doing work that was personally fulfilling was within their top three priorities, and 25% ranked helping and caring for others up top, as well. — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 24 June 2026

The pair then turned to Frank Carone, who Zhu knew personally, to facilitate a contract, the indictment says. — Anna Schecter, CBS News, 24 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing personally

• take it personally

Rhymes for personally

• impersonally

Kids Definition

personally

adverb

per·​son·​al·​ly ˈpərs-nə-lē 

-ᵊn-ə-

1

: in person

attend to the matter personally

2

: as a person : in personality

personally attractive

3

: for oneself : as far as oneself is concerned

personally, I am against it