personal
personal — adjective
1. connected with one particular person, or kept for that person's own use instead
connected with one particular person, or kept for that person's own use instead of being shared by a group, company, or the public.
Maya keeps her personal diary in the bottom drawer of her desk.
collocations: personal diary / details / use
Each nurse has a personal locker beside the staff kitchen.
The app asks for personal details before you can book a room.
Grandfather gave Leo a personal stamp with his full name.
This email is for personal use, not for office business.
pattern: be for personal use
- personal diary
- personal details
- personal use
- personal belongings
- personal account
- individual
more formal and often used in contrast with group or public
- private
often overlaps, but more strongly suggests not public
- own
stresses possession more than type or use
Grammar Patterns
personal + noun
be for personal use
Usage Note
Often used before nouns like details, belongings, diary, use, and account. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is about being linked to one person, while sense 3 is about private life.
Common Mistakes
2. done directly by someone themselves, without sending another person to act for t
done directly by someone themselves, without sending another person to act for them.
The owner made a personal visit to the shop after the fire.
collocation: personal visit
Dr. Wu gave personal thanks to every nurse on the night shift.
The singer sent a personal reply instead of using her manager.
Mr. Ito took personal charge of the meeting with angry parents.
collocation: take personal charge of
The chairperson offered a personal apology at the town hall.
- personal visit
- personal reply
- personal thanks
- personal apology
- personal charge
Grammar Patterns
personal + visit
personal + thanks
personal + apology
Usage Note
Usually appears with nouns for direct action, such as visit, reply, thanks, apology, or charge. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on who carried out the action, not on ownership or private use.
Common Mistakes
3. about someone's private life, feelings, or home matters rather than their work o
about someone's private life, feelings, or home matters rather than their work or public role.
Carla never discusses personal problems during the morning sales meeting.
work-vs-private contrast
The reporter asked no personal questions about the actor's divorce.
The boss allows personal phone calls only at lunch time.
Sarah took a personal day to care for her sick mother.
collocation: personal day
The judge kept his personal views separate from the case.
- personal life
- personal problems
- personal questions
- personal day
- personal views
- public
openly known or related to official life
- professional
connected with work instead of private matters
Grammar Patterns
personal + life
personal + problem
personal + question
Usage Note
Common with nouns like life, problem, matter, question, view, and day. Distinguish from sense 1: something can be personal because it belongs to one person, but sense 3 specifically points to private life.
Common Mistakes
4. connected with someone's body, appearance, or the daily care of the body.
connected with someone's body, appearance, or the daily care of the body.
The hotel offers personal care products beside the bathroom sink.
collocation: personal care products
The nurse wore gloves during personal care for the elderly man.
collocation: personal care
Rosa spends little money on personal beauty products.
The clinic gives personal hygiene advice to new parents.
collocation: personal hygiene
The ad promises help with personal appearance before job interviews.
collocation: personal appearance
- personal care
- personal hygiene
- personal appearance
- personal beauty products
- mental
related to the mind rather than the body
Grammar Patterns
personal + care
personal + hygiene
personal + appearance
Usage Note
Mostly found in set combinations such as personal care, personal hygiene, and personal appearance. Distinguish from sense 3: sense 3 is about private life, while this one is specifically about the body or outward look.
Common Mistakes
5. aimed at someone's looks, character, or private affairs in order to hurt or insu
aimed at someone's looks, character, or private affairs in order to hurt or insult them.
Liam made a personal comment about Eva's nose during lunch.
collocation: personal comment
The host turned the interview ugly with personal jokes about the singer.
A personal attack on the teacher ended the parents' meeting.
collocation: personal attack
The online post was full of personal abuse about Mia's weight.
collocation: personal abuse
The speech avoided policy and became one long personal criticism of the mayor.
- personal comment
- personal attack
- personal abuse
- personal criticism
- personal joke
- insulting
general and direct, without focusing on target type
- abusive
stronger; suggests harsher, repeated hurtful language
- ad hominem
formal term for attacking the person instead of the argument
- respectful
showing care and not attacking the person
- objective
focused on facts instead of the person
Grammar Patterns
personal + comment
personal + attack
personal + abuse
Usage Note
Usually modifies nouns for insulting speech, especially comment, remark, attack, criticism, and abuse. Distinguish from sense 6: sense 5 describes the rude words themselves, while sense 6 describes a conversation shifting into that kind of attack.
Common Mistakes
6. If a discussion becomes personal, people stop talking about the issue and start
If a discussion becomes personal, people stop talking about the issue and start attacking each other as people.
The debate turned personal when Jack mocked Erin's haircut.
pattern: turn personal
The brothers' argument grew personal after one mentioned the old divorce.
The meeting became personal as both lawyers laughed at each other's voices.
pattern: become personal
Once the chat turns personal, no useful answer is possible.
The radio interview stayed calm until one guest got personal.
pattern: get personal
- get personal
- turn personal
- become personal
- grow personal
- hostile
broader; shows bad feeling, not always direct personal attack
- ad hominem
formal; used especially for argument style
- hurtful
focuses on emotional effect more than debate structure
- civil
polite and controlled in disagreement
- impersonal
kept away from private feelings or individual attack
Grammar Patterns
get personal
turn personal
become personal
Usage Note
Almost always used after verbs like get, turn, grow, or become. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense describes the change in a discussion, not one specific insulting remark.
Common Mistakes
Being very near to someone or something, often in a way that allows you to see or understand them well.
Maya got up close and personal with the dolphins at the aquarium.
Have you ever been up close and personal with a wild bear?
personal — noun
1. a foul in basketball for illegal contact with another player; a shorter way of s
a foul in basketball for illegal contact with another player; a shorter way of saying personal foul.
The referee called a personal on Chen after the hard push.
pattern: call a personal on [player]
One more personal will send Davis to the bench.
The crowd booed when the official gave Lin a personal under the basket.
pattern: give [player] a personal
Coach Ramirez challenged the personal, but the replay showed clear contact.
Two quick personals forced the center to sit before halftime.
plural form: personals
- call a personal
- give someone a personal
- pick up a personal
- two personals
- personal foul
full and more formal term
- foul
broader; can mean other kinds of rule-breaking too
Grammar Patterns
call a personal
give someone a personal
Usage Note
Mainly heard in American basketball talk, often in speech or sports reporting. Distinguish from ordinary 'personal' as an adjective: here it is a noun meaning a type of foul.
Common Mistakes
2. the newspaper or magazine section where very short notices are printed, often fo
the newspaper or magazine section where very short notices are printed, often for friendship, dating, or other private messages.
Nora found the apartment in the personals of a local paper.
usually plural: the personals
Older readers still check the personals on Sunday mornings.
A short note in the personals thanked Dr. Chen for finding the lost dog.
The magazine dropped its personals after moving online.
Rita circled three dating ads in the personals before breakfast.
- the personals
- in the personals
- check the personals
- a note in the personals
- classifieds
broader; includes jobs, houses, and sales as well
- personal ads
the individual notices, not always the whole section
Grammar Patterns
the personals
Usage Note
Usually plural: 'the personals'. It refers to the section as a whole, while 'personal ads' refers to the individual notices inside it.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- personnounA1
- personallyadverbB1
- personalitynounB1
- personalizeverbC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
For adjective sense 1, personal is the broad everyday word for something linked to one person rather than a group: personal details, personal use, personal account. Private often overlaps, but it more strongly suggests that other people should not see or know about it. Individual is more formal and is common in official or technical writing about one member of a larger set. Own mainly stresses possession, not type: your own room means the room belongs to you. Particular means specific, but it does not itself suggest ownership. Compare: personal data on a form, a private conversation in the kitchen, and your own keys in your bag.
Etymology
English personal comes from late Latin personalis, built on persona, meaning a person or a character. The earliest idea was simply 'connected with a person'. From that base, English later developed uses about private life, the body, and remarks directed at someone rather than at an issue.