adj · noun · 18 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpɜː.sə.nəl/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpɜːs.nəl/
General-American:/ˈpɜɹ.sə.nəl/
General-American:/ˈpɜɹs.nəl/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P ER1 S IH0 N AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Pertaining to persons (human beings as opposed to things or animals).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of or pertaining to a particular person; relating to, or affecting, an individual, or each of many individuals
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
personal values; personal desire
Her song was her personal look at the values of friendship.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Dealing with subjects about which one wishes (or people usually wish) to maintain privacy or discretion; not for public view; sensitive, intimate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
personal reasons
You can't read my diary—it is personal.
That's a very personal question.
I can't believe you went through my drawers and looked at all my personal things!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Intended for sexual use.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: euphemistic
Examples
personal lubricant; personal massager
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Pertaining to the external or bodily appearance; corporeal; bodily.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
personal charms
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adj
Meaning 6
Done in person; without an intermediary.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
a personal interview
a personal meeting
personal settings
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
adj
Meaning 7
Relating to an individual, their character, conduct, motives, or private affairs, in an invidious and offensive manner
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
personal reflections or remarks
Only factual argumentation, no need to get personal.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
adj
Meaning 8
Of a noun or pronoun, having reference particular to humans and other entities having personality such as a named animal, a deity, a personification, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
one's personal vehicle, as opposed to a company vehicle
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
An advertisement by which an individual attempts to meet others with similar interests.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: in-plural
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
noun
Meaning 12
One's own property or asset
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
1748, Tobias Smollett (translator), Alain-René Lesage (original), The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane In addition to this, a coarse shirt quite new, a pair of my father's shoes quite old, and, what rejoiced me more than all the rest, a rouleau of twenty rials in a linen rag. Behold the sum total of my personals.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
adjective
Meaning 13
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a personal favor
for your personal use
personal papers
I have something personal to tell you
a personal God
he has his personal bank account and she has hers
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: impersonal
14
adjective
Meaning 14
indicating grammatical person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
personal verb endings
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
adjective
Meaning 15
of or arising from personality
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
personal magnetism
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
16
adjective satellite
Meaning 16
particular to a given individual
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
17
adjective satellite
Meaning 17
intimately concerning a person's body or physical being
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
personal hygiene
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
18
noun
Meaning 18
a short newspaper article about a particular person or group
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From Middle English personal, personele, from Anglo-Norman personel, personal, personell, Old French personal, personel, from Late Latin persōnālis (“of a person, personly”), equivalent to person + -al. Doublet of personnel.
Across languages
Translations
123 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
човешки
(čoveški)
— pertaining to human beings
Finnish:
ihmis-
— pertaining to human beings
Hungarian:
emberi
— pertaining to human beings
Hungarian:
személyi
— pertaining to human beings
Ido:
homala
— pertaining to human beings
Korean:
개인의
(gaein-ui)
— pertaining to human beings
Māori:
whaiaro
— pertaining to human beings
Māori:
matawhaiaro
— pertaining to human beings
Norwegian Bokmål:
personrelatert
— pertaining to human beings
Norwegian Bokmål:
menneskelig
— pertaining to human beings
Afrikaans:
persoonlik
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Arabic:
شَخْصِيّ
(šaḵṣiyy)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Azerbaijani:
şəxsi
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Bashkir:
шәхси
(şəxsi)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Belarusian:
асабі́сты
(asabísty)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Belarusian:
асабо́вы
(asabóvy)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Belarusian:
персана́льны
(pjersanálʹny)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Bulgarian:
ли́чен
(líčen)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Bulgarian:
персона́лен
(personálen)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Catalan:
personal
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Cebuano:
personal
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Chinese Mandarin:
私人的
(sīrén de)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Czech:
osobní
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Danish:
personlig
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Dutch:
persoonlijk
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Finnish:
henkilökohtainen
— of or pertaining to a particular person
French:
personnel
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Galician:
persoal
— of or pertaining to a particular person
German:
persönlich
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Greek:
προσωπικός
(prosopikós)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Hindi:
व्यक्तिगत
(vyaktigat)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Hungarian:
személyi
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Hungarian:
személyes
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Hungarian:
egyéni
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Hungarian:
saját
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Icelandic:
persónulegur
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Ido:
personala
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Irish:
pearsanta
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Italian:
personale
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Japanese:
個人の
(kojin no)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Korean:
개인의
(gaeinui)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Central Kurdish:
کەسی
(kesî)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Latin:
proprius
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Macedonian:
личен
(ličen)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Māori:
whaiaro
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Māori:
matawhaiaro
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Marathi:
व्यक्तिगत
(vyaktigat)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Eastern Mari:
шке
(ške)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Norwegian Bokmål:
personlig
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Norwegian Nynorsk:
personleg
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Persian:
شخصی
(šaxsi)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Polish:
osobisty
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Polish:
personalny
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Portuguese:
pessoal
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Russian:
ли́чный
(líčnyj)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Russian:
персона́льный
(personálʹnyj)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Scottish Gaelic:
pearsanta
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Slovak:
osobný
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Spanish:
personal
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Swedish:
personlig
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Tagalog:
pansarili
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Tagalog:
personal
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Tajik:
шахсӣ
(šaxsi)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Thai:
ส่วนตัว
(sùuan-dtuua)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Turkish:
kişisel
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Turkish:
özel
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Turkish:
zatî
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Turkish:
şahsi
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Ottoman Turkish:
خصوصی
(hususî)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Ukrainian:
особи́стий
(osobýstyj)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Ukrainian:
персона́льний
(personálʹnyj)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Ukrainian:
особо́вий
(osobóvyj)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Uyghur:
شەخسىي
(shexsiy)
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Uzbek:
shaxsiy
— of or pertaining to a particular person
Afrikaans:
persoonlik
— dealing with subjects about which one wishes to maintain privacy or discretion
Finnish:
henkilökohtainen
— dealing with subjects about which one wishes to maintain privacy or discretion
Hindi:
व्यक्तिगत
(vyaktigat)
— dealing with subjects about which one wishes to maintain privacy or discretion
Hungarian:
személyes
— dealing with subjects about which one wishes to maintain privacy or discretion
Hungarian:
magánjellegű
— dealing with subjects about which one wishes to maintain privacy or discretion
Hungarian:
magán-
— dealing with subjects about which one wishes to maintain privacy or discretion
Finnish:
henkilökohtainen
— euphemistic: intended for sexual use
Hungarian:
intim
— euphemistic: intended for sexual use
Catalan:
corporal
— pertaining to the external or bodily appearance
Czech:
osobní
— pertaining to the external or bodily appearance
Finnish:
fyysinen
— pertaining to the external or bodily appearance
Finnish:
ruumiillinen
— pertaining to the external or bodily appearance
Hungarian:
személyes
— pertaining to the external or bodily appearance
Norwegian Bokmål:
personlig
— pertaining to the external or bodily appearance
Scottish Gaelic:
pearsanta
— pertaining to the external or bodily appearance
Afrikaans:
in persoon
— done in person
Bashkir:
шәхси
(şəxsi)
— done in person
Catalan:
personal
— done in person
Finnish:
henkilökohtainen
— done in person
Finnish:
oma
— done in person
French:
en personne
— done in person
Hungarian:
személyes
— done in person
Hungarian:
élő
— done in person
Hungarian:
szemtől szembeni
— done in person
Māori:
ā-tinana
— done in person
Norwegian Bokmål:
personlig
— done in person
Finnish:
henkilökohtainen
— relating to an individual in an invidious and offensive manner
Hungarian:
személyeskedő
— relating to an individual in an invidious and offensive manner
Norwegian Bokmål:
personlig
— relating to an individual in an invidious and offensive manner
Belarusian:
асабо́вы
(asabóvy)
— grammar: denoting person
Bulgarian:
ли́чен
(líčen)
— grammar: denoting person
Catalan:
personal
— grammar: denoting person
Chinese Mandarin:
人稱 /人称
(rénchēng)
— grammar: denoting person
Finnish:
persoona-
— grammar: denoting person
French:
personnel
— grammar: denoting person
German:
Personal-
— grammar: denoting person
Greek:
προσωπικός
(prosopikós)
— grammar: denoting person
Hungarian:
személyes
— grammar: denoting person
Norwegian Bokmål:
personlig
— grammar: denoting person
Polish:
osobowy
— grammar: denoting person
Russian:
ли́чный
(líčnyj)
— grammar: denoting person
Ukrainian:
особо́вий
(osobóvyj)
— grammar: denoting person