interpersonal

interpersonal — adjective

1. describing the way people relate to one another through communication, behaviour

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing the way people relate to one another through communication, behaviour, and shared understanding in social or professional settings

Example

The workshop taught Rin how to handle interpersonal conflicts in the workplace.

collocation: interpersonal conflicts

Sahil’s interpersonal skills made him a popular member of the project team.

collocation: interpersonal skills

Common collocations
  • interpersonal communication
  • interpersonal skills
  • interpersonal relationships
  • interpersonal conflict
  • interpersonal dynamics
  • interpersonal bond
Synonyms
  • social

    broader in meaning; social covers any aspect of society or group living, while interpersonal focuses specifically on interactions between individuals

  • relational

    more technical; used mainly in psychology and sociology to describe the nature of connections between people

  • communicative

    narrower in scope; emphasises the exchange of information rather than the full range of human interaction

Antonyms
  • intrapersonal

    happening within one person rather than between people; used in psychology to contrast inner experience with social interaction

  • individual

    relating to a single person rather than to interactions between people

Grammar Patterns

interpersonal + noun

Usage Note

Interpersonal is almost always used before a noun (interpersonal skills, interpersonal relationships). It is more formal than everyday words like social or personal and is especially common in psychology, business, and education contexts.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe connections between people, but they differ in scope and register. Social is the broadest term, covering any aspect of community life or group behaviour (“social media”, “social norms”) and is suitable for everyday use. Relational is more technical, appearing mainly in psychology and sociology to describe the structural qualities of a connection (“relational trauma”, “relational ethics”). Communicative narrows the focus to the exchange of messages, signals, or information (“communicative competence”) rather than the full emotional or behavioural relationship. For example, a person can have excellent interpersonal skills without being particularly social (they enjoy talking one-on-one but avoid parties), and a relationship can be relational in structure but poor in communicative quality.

social ↗relationalcommunicative ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • communication
  • skills
  • relationships
  • conflicts
  • dynamics
  • bonds
  • interactions

Phrases

  • interpersonal skills
  • interpersonal relationships
  • interpersonal communication
  • interpersonal conflict

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed in English from the Latin prefix inter- (“between, among”) and the noun person (“a human being”, from Latin persona “actor’s mask, character”). The word first appeared in the early 19th century in philosophical writing and later became a core term in psychology, sociology, and business to describe anything that happens “between persons”.