personal
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- private, exclusive, individual, intimate, own, particular, peculiar, special
- offensive, derogatory, disparaging, insulting, nasty

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Contrasted words: general, universal, common, joint, mutual, shared, commonplace, everyday, ordinary
Related Words: particular, peculiar, special

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English Thesaurus: private, personal, secret, intimate, innermost, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

per‧son‧al S1 W1 /ˈpɜːsənəl $ ˈpɜːr-/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: person, personality, persona, personage, the personals, personification, personnel; adjective: personal ≠ impersonal, personalized, personable; verb: personalize, personify; adverb: personally ≠ impersonally]

1. [only before noun] belonging or relating to one particular person, rather than to other people or to people in general:
My personal view is that we shouldn’t offer him the job.
Style and colour are a matter of personal taste.
She took full personal responsibility for all the arrangements.
When I went to her room all her personal belongings had gone.
After Alan’s death, his mother received his personal effects.
I know from personal experience that you can’t trust Ralph.
the personal qualities needed to be successful in business
The car is for personal use only.
On a personal level he felt sympathy for them, but he had a job to do.
celebrities with their own personal trainer

2. relating to the private areas of your life:
I don’t answer questions about my personal life.
May I ask you a personal question?
the records will include other personal details such as nationality, date of birth and address
He’s got a few personal problems at the moment.
The envelope was marked ‘Personal and Confidential’.
We’re not allowed to make personal phone calls at work.

3. involving rude or upsetting criticism of someone:
It’s unprofessional to make such personal remarks.
a bitter personal attack on the president
There’s no need to get personal!
(it’s) nothing personal (=used to tell someone that you are not criticizing them)
It’s nothing personal, I just have to go home now.

4. if you give something your personal care or attention, you deal with it yourself instead of asking someone else to do it:
Small companies can devote more personal attention to each project.
As you get promoted in a firm you lose that personal contact (=meeting and dealing with people yourself).

5. personal friend someone who you know well, especially a famous or important person
personal friend of
Apparently the director is a personal friend of hers.

6. [only before noun] relating to your body or the way you look:
Grant was always fussy about his personal appearance.
the importance of personal hygiene

7. personal touch something you do to make something special, or that makes someone feel special:
It’s those extra personal touches that make our service better.

8. personal best the fastest time, most points etc that a sportsman or sportswoman has ever achieved:
I ran 20.51 seconds for a personal best.

9. personal development improvements in your character and skills

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

personal
adj.
VERBS be
ADV. extremely, highly, very highly personal information
rather

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

personal

sb’s personal view/opinion
My personal opinion is that the project was started too soon.
sb’s personal possessions/belongings/property
All personal belongings should be clearly marked with the owner’s name.
sb’s personal effects (formal) (=small possessions, clothing etc)
After his suicide, his mother received his personal effects.
personal taste/preference
What you plant in your garden is ultimately a matter of personal preference.
personal qualities
They stress the importance of a teacher’s personal qualities.
personal experience
I have had personal experience of unemployment.
a personal relationship
It’s important to establish a good personal relationship with the voters.
a personal interest in something
He took a personal interest in the case.
for (your) personal use
He bought a computer for his personal use.
on a personal level (=used when giving your own opinion rather than the opinion of the organization you represent)
On a personal level, it’s been a very positive experience.
sb’s personal life
I’ve got to maintain a balance between my personal life and my work.
personal details
Fill in your personal details.
personal problems
Counselors can give assistance to students with personal problems.
a personal question
That’s a rather personal question.
a personal call
Are you sure your boss doesn’t mind your using the telephone for personal calls?
for personal reasons
The company’s chief executive has resigned for personal reasons.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

personal
adjective
BAD: The meals can be improved if the canteen personal agree to cooperate.
GOOD: The meals can be improved if the canteen personnel agree to cooperate.

Usage Note:
See note at PERSONNEL (personnel)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

private if something is private, you do not want most people to know about it because it concerns your feelings, your relationships etc:
He didn’t want to discuss his private life.
What happens in the bedroom is strictly private.
personal relating to your private life – used especially about problems, feelings, and questions:
They asked a lot of personal questions.
She talked about her own personal feelings.
I’d rather not talk about it – it’s personal.
The singer has had a lot of problems in her personal life.
secret [only before noun] used about feelings and thoughts that you do not tell anyone about:
Barclay had a secret desire to become an actor.
His secret fear was that Jenny would leave him.
intimate very private – used about things relating to your relationships and sexual feelings:
an intimate conversation
Many people share intimate details of their lives on the Internet.
their intimate moments together
innermost [only before noun] your innermost feelings, thoughts etc are your most private ones:
Counselling often encourages you to reveal your innermost thoughts.
be none of sb’s business if something is none of your business, it is private and you should not ask about it:
It’s none of your business how much I earn.
‘Are you married?’ ‘That’s none of your business.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲