personal

adjective

ˈpərs-nəl How to pronounce personal (audio)
Definition of personalnext
as in subjective
of, relating to, or belonging to a single person he kept personal items in a separate drawer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of personal My mother has accused me of removing personal papers from her file cabinet. — Abigail Van Buren, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026 More personal advice to a broader range of clients means more time — and time was always at a premium. — Hardy Michel, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 But three years in, funding ran out and Angelides wound the company down deliberately, using personal money to make sure every teacher was paid. — Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Our partnership with Marvel has brought some of the most iconic superheroes to USA TODAY, but my personal favorite has been watching our exclusive Spider-Man TODAY story unfold. — Usa Today, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for personal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personal
  1. subjective
  2. personalized
  3. private
  4. individual
Adjective
  • Only factual errors can be corrected, not subjective decisions.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • For example, Allegiance said Montana significantly altered the initial bid, and then gave too much weight to the oral presentation, where BCBS scored higher (the evaluation is subjective and has nothing to do with the contract itself).
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of subjective
Adjective
  • Fellows will receive personalized advising, mentorship, career development, advice on financial literacy, and community support throughout their time at Rice.
    — Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Recommended by Our Editors With the Apple Watch Series 11, Siri AI in the forthcoming watchOS 27 offers similarly personalized and contextual help, which makes sense, given Apple's partnership with Google to add capabilities to its AI software.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of personalized
Adjective
  • Lenti Ponsetto, after 18 years leading DePaul athletics—and 42 years overall at the private Big East school—announced her retirement in June 2020, just six weeks after Conviser filed her initial suit in Cook County court.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The movie, which premieres this weekend on YouTube, is a DIY schlock- umentary that’s also a real documentary, one that captures how Six’s life became his own private horror film, after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of private
Adjective
  • Hundreds of thousands of individual sellers have lost their merchandise, sending shock waves across Russia’s economy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • With only one individual win, the Pan Pacs was off her standard.
    — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of individual

Phrases Containing personal

Browse Nearby Words

personages
personal
personal effects
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Cite this Entry

“Personal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personal. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on personal

Nglish: Translation of personal for Spanish Speakers

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