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

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

The trans athlete personally denied the allegations to The New York Times in a story that was published Monday. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026

Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest men, personally agreed to backstop the equity in Par’s latest offer to address WBD’s concerns. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2026

In years past, Newsom would personally go through the budget, almost line-by-line, in presentations that sometimes lasted three hours. —Dan Walters, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026

Like, for me personally, that was never in the front of my mind. —Jackie Kostek, CBS News, 12 Jan. 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