Word family noun person personality persona personage the personals personification personnel adjective personal ≠ impersonal personalized personable verb personalize personify adverb personally ≠ impersonally
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpersonalper‧son‧al /ˈpɜːsənəl $ ˈpɜːr-/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective 1 [only before noun]PERSONALLY/YOURSELF belonging or relating to one particular person, rather than to other people or to people in general My personal view is that we shouldn’t offer him the job. Style and colour are a matter of personal taste. She took full personal responsibility for all the arrangements. When I went to her room all her personal belongings had gone. After Nelson’s death, his mother received his personal effects. I know from personal experience that you can’t trust Trevor. the personal qualities needed to be successful in business The car is for personal use only. On a personal level he felt sympathy for them, but he had a job to do. celebrities with their own personal trainer2 PERSONALLY/YOURSELFrelating to the private areas of your life I don’t answer questions about my personal life. May I ask you a personal question? the records will include other personal details such as nationality, date of birth and address He’s got a few personal problems at the moment. The envelope was marked ‘Personal and Confidential’. We’re not allowed to make personal phone calls at work.► see thesaurus at private3 CRITICIZEinvolving rude or upsetting criticism of someone It’s unprofessional to make such personal remarks. a bitter personal attack on the president There’s no need to get personal!(it’s) nothing personal (=used to tell someone that you are not criticizing them) It’s nothing personal, I just have to go home now.4 if you give something your personal care or attention, you deal with it yourself instead of asking someone else to do it Small companies can devote more personal attention to each project. As you get promoted in a firm you lose that personal contact (=meeting and dealing with people yourself).5 → personal friend6 [only before noun]BODY relating to your body or the way you look Grant was always fussy about his personal appearance. the importance of personal hygiene 7 → personal touch8 → personal best9 → personal developmentCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: belonging or relating to one particular person, rather than to other people or to people in generalnounssomebody’s personal view/opinionMy personal opinion is that the project was started too soon.somebody’s personal possessions/belongings/propertyAll personal belongings should be clearly marked with the owner’s name.somebody’s personal effects (formal) (=small possessions, clothing etc)After his suicide, his mother received his personal effects.personal taste/preferenceWhat you plant in your garden is ultimately a matter of personal preference.personal qualitiesThey stress the importance of a teacher’s personal qualities.personal experienceI have had personal experience of unemployment.a personal relationshipIt’s important to establish a good personal relationship with the voters.a personal interest in somethingHe took a personal interest in the case.phrasesfor (your) personal useHe bought a computer for his personal use.on a personal level (=used when giving your own opinion rather than the opinion of the organization you represent)On a personal level, it’s been a very positive experience. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: relating to the private areas of your lifenounssomebody’s personal lifeI’ve got to maintain a balance between my personal life and my work.personal detailsFill in your personal details.personal problemsCounselors can give assistance to students with personal problems.a personal questionThat’s a rather personal question.a personal callAre you sure your boss doesn’t mind your using the telephone for personal calls?phrasesfor personal reasonsThe company’s chief executive has resigned for personal reasons. Examples from the Corpus
personal• I'm not going to tell her anything personal.• I'm not going to tell you that - it's personal!• You can arm and disarm the alarm system using your own personal access code.• Develop a mission statement of two sentences or less that clearly defines your definition of personal and business success.• The President made a personal appeal to the terrorists.• Opponents have resorted to personal attacks on Gingrich to stop the legislation.• a manufacturer of personal care products• The stressors could include the same sorts of triggers suspected in the immune disease theory, ranging from viruses to personal catastrophes.• I liked talking to people and solving problems, but as you get promoted within a firm you lose that personal contact.• It is not just in professional and business circles that personal contacts help people obtain jobs.• The novel is based on the author's own personal experience.• In those days it was socially unacceptable for men to cry in public, or to express their personal feelings.• a personal fitness trainer• The absolute right of an editor or journalist to opt for a personal hearing before a complaints committee would be removed.• personal hygiene• I'm sorry but my diary is personal. I don't let anyone else read it.• They committed themselves to form a new professional and personal identity.• All weapons are cleaned and examined before being locked back into the armoury, then personal kit can be dealt with.• There is nothing here requiring personal performance by the tenant.• The dead man's personal possessions were sent back to his family.• Beth had a lot of personal problems at that time.• Can I ask you a personal question?• Use Mac Hacks for your own personal recreation.• He took personal responsibility for everything that happened.• I intend to take personal responsibility for seeing that the documents reach you in time.• She felt her problems were too personal to talk about.• I've got my own personal web site.personal view• There is no suggestion that Bush has altered his personal views.• This he did, insisting that Mr Bangemann's remarks reflected his own personal views.• Women can form a communal bond quickly, but may be reluctant to stand up for their personal views.• Rotating writers offering their personal views include Jay Harlow on fish and seafood.• Atypically, neither the personal view nor the soundings pieces are anecdotal.• The next crisis followed almost immediately, and once more Anselm took a similarly personal view of his responsibilities.• Television gives ordinary citizens an unmediated, direct personal view of world events. 2.• Next month, some famous demo-dudes express their personal views on the scene.personal life• A process of change begins now that filters through into every aspect of your personal life.• As far as can be seen, they were not involved in their lord's personal life.• Father Tim was feeling the confusion of too many options in his personal life.• With Osterlind he discussed art and philosophy but not his personal life.• In earlier chapters, we saw that our emotional life is centrally important in the growth of our personal life and faith.• Meanwhile, in personal life he became a reasonably prosperous but crotchety landowner.• New Managers' Personal Lives How did their promotion change the new managers' personal lives?• Phillips' personal life will be thoroughly scrutinized by each interested team.get personal• Cullen, a former university historian known for his biting wit, has occasionally got personal.• I thought I might as well get personal.• Pharmacogenetics of cancer therapy: getting personal.• These kind of games were being played by kids in homes and schools long before computers got personal.• And that incentive was increased when they got personal recognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.• The thing of jack is, he gets personal with words.personal appearance• The activity centres around the big top in Stockton High Street offering free all day entertainment with live broadcasts and personal appearances.• The Romans were interested in conveying aspects of individual character as these were reflected in personal appearance.• Buyers expect salespeople to be business-like in their personal appearance and behaviour.• Therefore, a regular daily routine should be developed so that care of personal appearance and hygiene is automatic.• Political officials offer their views in personal appearances before the citizens.• Women may sense that their own nature is being violated when any choice in personal appearance is taken away from them.• The personal appearance of Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-man, the X-Men and other comic book heroes.• He cared little about his living conditions, his personal appearance, or social amenities. 