personal

adjective

ˈpərs-nəl How to pronounce personal (audio)
Definition of personalnext
as in subjective
of, relating to, or belonging to a single person he kept personal items in a separate drawer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of personal The trio, including the outlet’s editor-in-chief, claimed they were illegally pushed out over personal statements protected under the First Amendment. — Liam Reilly, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 Still, each guest enjoys their secluded villa, private spa time, and a personal guide to arrange hiking and water excursions like snorkeling and surfing. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026 Meet our staff and testers A beauty product is a personal purchase. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026 Their debates can get heated, but Gray, who describes himself as a conflict-averse person in a high-conflict business, says the criticism should never be personal. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for personal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personal
  1. subjective
  2. personalized
  3. private
  4. individual
Adjective
  • What’s considered harmful to minors can be subjective, and this is where experts believe laws requiring age verification can run afoul of the First Amendment.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • What’s considered harmful to minors can be subjective, and this is where experts believe laws requiring age verification can run afoul of the 1st Amendment.
    — Barbara Ortutay, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of subjective
Adjective
  • From personalized skin-care picks to products that build, layer, and play well together, each one evolves with you.
    — Allure Editors, Allure, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The app’s home page will feature a personalized list of posts from a user’s preferred sites, with another tab dedicated to game threads.
    — Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of personalized
Adjective
  • Some are worried about the legal implications of handling such large quantities of previously private game builds as well.
    — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In the village of Bilbasovka in eastern Ukraine, a 13-year-old child and an adult died after Russian troops dropped bombs on private houses Sunday, according to local official Vadim Lyakh.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of private
Adjective
  • Hackett's suit, filed by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, seeks compensatory and punitive damages and names Arellano in his individual capacity as the sole defendant.
    — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Models ranked some outcomes more consistently than individual evaluators.
    — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of individual

Phrases Containing personal

Browse Nearby Words

personages
personal
personal effects
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Personal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personal. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All