# personal

Pronunciation: say "PUR-suh-nuhl" US /ˈpɜɹ.sə.nəl/, UK /ˈpɜː.sə.nəl/

## Adjective

1. Relating to, affecting, or belonging to a particular person, or to each person individually.
   - Simple: Connected with, affecting, or owned by one person, or each person separately.
   - _In my personal experience, the early morning train is usually less crowded._
   - _The choice was a personal one that affected only her future._
2. Dealing with subjects one wishes to keep private; not for public view; sensitive or intimate.
   - Simple: About private things that someone wants to keep secret or not share widely.
   - _When the reporter asked about her divorce, the actress said the question was too personal to discuss on air._
   - _The letter touched on personal matters she had never discussed openly._
3. Relating to the body or to one's outward, physical appearance.
   - Simple: About someone's body or the way they look.
   - _The valet attended to the duke's personal grooming each morning._
   - _Soldiers were inspected for personal cleanliness before the parade._
4. Aimed at an individual's character, conduct, or private affairs in a hurtful, offensive way.
   - Simple: Said in a mean way that attacks someone's character or private life.
   - _The critique grew personal, dwelling on the author's looks instead of the book._
   - _She objected that his attack had become personal rather than political._
5. Done in person, without anyone acting as a go-between.
   - Simple: Done by someone in person, not through another person or by message.
   - _Rather than sending an aide, the governor paid a personal visit to every family that lost a home in the fire._
   - _He delivered a personal apology rather than sending an email._
7. Relating to persons, or having the nature or qualities of a person, rather than of a thing.
   - Simple: About people, or having the qualities of a person, not of a thing.
   - _The theologian argued for a personal deity who relates to each believer._
   - _Unlike the blind forces of nature, the gods in these old myths are fully personal beings who love, quarrel, and take revenge._
8. In grammar, relating to the first, second, and third persons.
   - Simple: In grammar, showing whether a word refers to the speaker, the person spoken to, or anyone or anything else.
   - _The chart listed each personal pronoun in its subject and object forms._
   - _Many languages mark personal distinctions on the verb itself._
9. In grammar, describing a noun or pronoun that refers to humans or other beings treated as persons, such as a named animal or a deity.
   - Simple: In grammar, used for words that point to people or person-like beings.
   - _Grammars of English describe 'who' as personal and 'which' as nonpersonal, though named pets often get 'who.'_
   - _Editors classed the deity's name among the personal nouns._
11. Describing products discreetly marketed for sexual use.
   - Simple: A polite word for products meant for sexual use.
   - _The drugstore keeps personal lubricants and condoms on the same discreet shelf near the pharmacy counter._
   - _The catalog listed personal massagers in a plainly labeled section near the back._

## Noun

6. A short advertisement, in a newspaper, magazine, or website, placed by someone hoping to find a romantic partner or a friend; usually in the plural.
   - Simple: A short ad, in print or online, that someone places to find a date, a partner, or a friend.
   - _Back then, a clever personal could fill your weekend with blind dates._
   - _Lonely after the move, she answered a personal in the Sunday paper._
10. An item of property or an asset that is one's own; used almost always in the plural.
   - Simple: Something you own yourself. People almost always say personals for the things they own.

## Origin

From Middle English personal, borrowed via Anglo-Norman and Old French personel from Late Latin persōnālis ('of a person'), equivalent to person plus the suffix -al. It is a doublet of personnel.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/personal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).