- of or relating to the private aspects of a person's life: personal letters, a personal question
- (prenominal) of or relating to a person's body, its care, or its appearance: personal hygiene, great personal beauty
- belonging to or intended for a particular person and no-one else: as a personal favour, for your personal use
- (prenominal) undertaken by an individual himself or herself: a personal appearance by a celebrity
- referring to, concerning, or involving a person's individual personality, intimate affairs, etc, esp in an offensive way: personal remarks, don't be so personal
- having the attributes of an individual conscious being: a personal God
- of or arising from the personality
- of, relating to, or denoting grammatical person
- of or relating to movable property, such as money
Compare real1
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
per•son•al /ˈpɜrsənəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- of or relating to a person;
individual:[before a noun]He gave his own, personal opinion. - private:My feelings for the deceased were too personal for me to share at the funeral.
- directed to or intended for a particular person:[before a noun]I asked him for a personal favor.
- referring or directed offensively to a particular person:personal remarks about his wife.
- done, carried out, held, etc., in person:[before a noun]a personal interview with the Pope.
- relating to the body, clothing, or appearance:[before a noun]personal cleanliness.
- Grammar[before a noun] of, relating to, or showing grammatical person:The personal ending-o in the Spanish hablo , "I speak,'' refers to the speaker, "I.''
n. [countable]
- Journalisma notice placed in a newspaper or other publication by a person seeking friendship, etc.
per•son•al
(pûr′sə nl),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
per′son•al•ness, n.
- of, pertaining to, or coming as from a particular person;
individual;
private:a personal opinion. - relating to, directed to, or intended for a particular person:a personal favor;
one's personal life;
a letter marked "Personal.'' - intended for use by one person:a personal car.
- referring or directed to a particular person in a disparaging or offensive sense or manner, usually involving character, behavior, appearance, etc.:personal remarks.
- making personal remarks or attacks:to become personal in a dispute.
- done, carried out, held, etc., in person:a personal interview.
- pertaining to or characteristic of a person or self-conscious being:That is my personal belief.
- of the nature of an individual rational being.
- pertaining to the body, clothing, or appearance:personal cleanliness.
- provided for one's discretionary use:Employees are allowed 15 vacation days and two personal days.
- Grammar
- noting person:In Latinportō "I carry,'' -ō is a personal ending.
- of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the personal pronoun.
- Lawof or pertaining to personal property:personal interests.
n.
- Journalism
- a short news paragraph in a newspaper concerning a particular person, as one who is socially prominent, or a group of particular persons who are socially prominent.
- a brief, private notice in a newspaper or magazine, often addressed to a particular person and typically bearing an abbreviated salutation and signature to preserve its confidentiality, usually printed in a special part of the classified advertising section.
- a similar notice placed by a person seeking companionship, a spouse, etc.
- Usually, personals. a column, page, or section of a newspaper, magazine, etc., featuring such notices or items.
- Late Latin persōnālis. See person, -al1
- Middle English 1350–1400
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
personal /ˈpɜːsənəl/ adj