1
: of, relating to, or affecting a particular person : private, individual
personal ambition
personal financial gain
2
a
: done in person without the intervention of another
also
: proceeding from a single person
b
: carried on between individuals directly
a personal interview
3
: relating to the person or body
4
: relating to an individual or an individual's character, conduct, motives, or private affairs often in an offensive manner
a personal insult
5
a
: being rational and self-conscious
personal, responsive government is still possible—
John Fischer
John Fischer
b
: having the qualities of a person rather than a thing or abstraction
a personal devil
6
: of, relating to, or constituting personal property
a personal estate
7
: denoting grammatical person
8
: intended for private use or use by one person
a personal stereo
1
: a short newspaper paragraph relating to the activities of a person or a group or to personal matters
2
: a short personal communication in a special column of the classified ads section of a newspaper or periodical
3
Synonyms
Examples of personal in a Sentence
Adjective
This is just my personal opinion.
I can only tell you what I know from personal experience.
He added his own personal touches to the recipe.
We don't accept personal checks.
He is a personal friend of mine.
She is always concerned about her personal appearance.
We provide each of our customers with personal service.
Golf is a personal interest of mine.
May I ask you a personal question?
That information is very personal, and you have no business asking about it.
Recent Examples on the Web
Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
Piñata Prayers | Dir. Daniel Larios; 2025; USA, El Salvador; 24 min
Breaking down the colonial tradition of piñatas, this personal film probes into a loss of faith while retracing a family history.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2025
In a landscape of dating app fatigue and romance scams, the anachronistic-seeming personals section — which is thriving in Vermont — can look like the way of the dating future.
—Wendy Lu, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for personal 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Alex King, a former FX trader and founder of personal finance platform Generation Money, agreed that Trump’s policies could provide Britain with some economic relief.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
Piñata Prayers | Dir. Daniel Larios; 2025; USA, El Salvador; 24 min
Breaking down the colonial tradition of piñatas, this personal film probes into a loss of faith while retracing a family history.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
Brunson gestured towards the Hawks bench for a substitution after Daniels picked up his second personal in the first quarter.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2025
In a landscape of dating app fatigue and romance scams, the anachronistic-seeming personals section — which is thriving in Vermont — can look like the way of the dating future.
—Wendy Lu, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for personal
Dictionary Entries Near personal
Cite this Entry
“Personal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
personal
1 of 2 adjective
per·son·al
ˈpərs-nəl 
-ᵊn-əl
1
: of, relating to, or belonging to a person : private
personal property
2
a
: done in person
b
: proceeding from or directed to a single person
c
: carried on between individuals directly
3
: relating to the person or body
your personal appearance
4
: closely related to an individual : intimate
5
: indicating grammatical person
personal
2 of 2 noun
: a short paragraph or ad in a newspaper relating to personal matters
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