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personal Definition

per·sonal (pʉr′sə nəl)

adjective

  1. of or peculiar to a certain person; private; individual
  2. done in person or by oneself without the use of another person or outside agency a personal interview
  3. involving persons or human beings personal relationships
  4. of the person, body, or physical appearance personal hygiene
    1. having to do with the character, personality, intimate affairs, conduct, etc. of a certain person a personal remark
    2. tending to make personal, esp. derogatory, remarks to get personal in an argument
  6. of, like, or having the nature of a person, or rational, self-conscious being
  7. Gram. indicating grammatical person personal pronouns, personal endings of verbs in Greek and other highly inflected languages
  8. Law of or constituting personal property

Etymology: OFr < L personalis

noun

  1. ☆ a local news item about a person or persons
  2. ☆
    1. a short, personal communication placed as in a newspaper
    2. a classified advertisement placed for the purpose of seeking someone to date or have a personal relationship with
    3. a section of such advertisements, as in a newspaper

personal Synonyms

personal

modif.

  1. Private

    secluded, secret, retired, intimate; see private.

  2. Individual

    own, peculiar, particular; see individual 1, special 1.

  3. Pertaining to one's person

    fleshly, corporeal, corporal; see bodily 1.

personal Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • date: The UK Online Dating Service and dating personals from the UK leaders in singles events.. .

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: Intel Core Duo and iLife '06 raise the bar again of what makes a personal computer so personal.

Adjective modifier

  • own: My own personal ' bitch ' about Superbase concerns the programming language.

Modifies a noun

  • datum: They want to retain control of their own personal data.
  • injury: Personal injury Being involved in an accident is always traumatic.
  • loan: A typical discount of 1 % of the APR will apply to all fixed rate personal loans.
  • information: You consent to use of your personal information in the manner set out in the Privacy Policy.
  • tutor: Every student has a personal tutor who they meet with at least once a term to discuss their progress.
  • detail: Your personal details will not be sold or traded to third parties.

Modifying Another Word

  • intensely: What you have to understand is that a maiden speech is an intensely personal thing to an MP.
  • purely: I can however offer a purely personal view of how we got to where we are and make some suggestions as to the future.
  • deeply: Abortion Abortion is a deeply personal issue, based on what feels right for the individual involved.
  • uniquely: The SantaGram contains a lot of uniquely personal information that only Santa ( parent or guardian ) can know.
  • highly: Palmer's own influences were diverse, the lessons he learned from them highly personal.
  • truly: It shows up the professional politicians and corporate leaders who never make a truly personal sacrifice for anything they believe in.

Noun used with modifier

  • picture: Friends Reunited Dating Dating and picture personals for UK residents with postcode search facility.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: However these are issues which although significant may seem too personal.
  • become: Further, the discussion becomes less personal when it is about the content of the form rather than the behavior of the individual.
  • feel: Beautiful scenery, a perfect cabin, everything was there for you, it felt so personal, it was lovely.
personal Quotes

Is it not possible that the rage for confession, autobiography, especially for memories of earliest childhood, is explained by our persistent yet mysterious belief in a self which is continuous and permanent; which, untouched by all we acquire and all we shed, pushes a green spear through the dead leaves and throughthemould, thrusts a scaled bud through years of darkness until, one day, the light discovers it and shakes the flower free andöwe are aliveöwe are flowering for our moment upon the earth? This is the moment which after all, we live foröthe moment of direct feeling when we are most ourselves and least personal.

—Beauchamp

Money is indeed the most important thing in the world: and all sound and successful personal and national morality should have this fact for its basis.

—Shaw, George Bernard

You're blessed with a woman's brain: vague, slippery, inexact, interested only inthe personal aspect of a thing.

—Lindesay Robertson ne¤  e Richardson

Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.

—Forster, E(dward) M(organ)

I write poems, have always written them, to transcend the painfully personal and reach the universal.

—Sarton, May

   Vengeance is a personal reaction. But not one that government can indulge in.

—Reno,Janet