impersonal Hear it!

impersonal Definition

im·per·sonal (im pʉr′sə nəl)

adjective

  1. not personal; specif.,
    1. without connection or reference to any particular person an impersonal comment
    2. not existing as a person an impersonal force
  2. not showing human feelings, esp. sympathy or warmth don't be so cold and impersonal
  3. Gram.
    1. designating or of a verb occurring only in the third person singular, in English generally with it as the indefinite subject (Ex.: “it is snowing”)
    2. indefinite: said of pronouns

Etymology: LL impersonalis

noun

an impersonal verb or pronoun

impersonal Related Forms
im·per′·son·al′·ity (-nal′i tē) noun im·per′·son·ally adverb
impersonal Synonyms

impersonal

modif.

detached, disinterested, cold; see aloof, indifferent 1.

impersonal Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • increasingly: Unless things change Labor's vision appears to be one of farming on an increasingly impersonal scale.
  • somewhat: Anthony said that a problem could be that it would be somewhat impersonal.
  • rather: This is not the rather impersonal matter of radically differing natures.
  • completely: That witness is completely impersonal, according to Shri Atmananda.
  • quite: Caroline commented that most websites were actually quite impersonal, lacking any kind of human element behind the site.
  • too: Is it too impersonal to propose over the web?

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: These are devices which help to involve the group by making the scenario less impersonal.
  • keep: As a result I could keep referring to it and kept things impersonal by simply asking if he could suggest alternatives.

Modifies a noun

  • verb: A native would guard his language more fully by using the impersonal verb.
  • god: By god, I mean the personal god, not the impersonal god.
  • force: He is not naked power, or an impersonal force.
  • will: The will to survive, which is the impersonal will, is a source of conflict in a person.
  • universe: It represents man's instinctive defiance of tyranny and of an impersonal universe.
  • recognition: Without ' Becoming ' such an " impersonal recognition " would not even be possible!

Used with adjective complement

  • appear: The OU's highly organized monitoring system picked this up straightaway as appearing too impersonal, especially the abbreviations used in margins.
  • seem: I am very aware that online ordering can seem very impersonal - you have no real contact with me at all.
  • become: Relationship with public becomes impersonal Well trained front office staff will enhance customer experience.
  • feel: The advantage of a ship like the Braemar is that she feels less impersonal than the larger vessels.
  • remain: If physical contact cannot be avoided then it MUST remain impersonal 6. Whenever possible try to ensure another adult is present.