From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpersonalper‧son‧al /ˈpɜːsənəl $ ˈpɜːr-/ ●●●S1W1 adjective1[only before noun]PERSONALLY/YOURSELF 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 Nelson’s death, his mother received his personal effects.
I know from personal experience that you can’t trust Trevor.
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 trainer2PERSONALLY/YOURSELFrelating 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.► see thesaurus at private3CRITICIZEinvolving rude or upsettingcriticism 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.4if 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 friend6[only before noun]BODY relating to your body or the way you look
Grant was always fussy about his personal appearance.
the importance of personal hygiene7 →personal touch8 →personal best9 →personal developmentCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: belonging or relating to one particular person, rather than to other people or to people in generalnounssomebody’s personal view/opinionMy personal opinion is that the project was started too soon.somebody’s personal possessions/belongings/propertyAll personal belongings should be clearly marked with the owner’s name.somebody’s personal effects (formal) (=small possessions, clothing etc)After his suicide, his mother received his personal effects.personal taste/preferenceWhat you plant in your garden is ultimately a matter of personal preference.personal qualitiesThey stress the importance of a teacher’s personal qualities.personal experienceI have had personal experience of unemployment.a personal relationshipIt’s important to establish a good personal relationship with the voters.a personal interest in somethingHe took a personal interest in the case.phrasesfor (your) personal useHe 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.COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: relating to the private areas of your lifenounssomebody’s personal lifeI’ve got to maintain a balance between my personal life and my work.personal detailsFill in your personal details.personal problemsCounselors can give assistance to students with personal problems.a personal questionThat’s a rather personal question.a personal callAre you sure your boss doesn’t mind your using the telephone for personal calls?phrasesfor personal reasonsThe company’s chief executive has resigned for personal reasons.Examples from the Corpuspersonal• I'm not going to tell her anything personal.• I'm not going to tell you that - it's personal!• You can arm and disarm the alarm system using your own personalaccesscode.• Develop a missionstatement of two sentences or less that clearly defines your definition of personal and business success.• Opponents have resorted to personalattacks on Gingrich to stop the legislation.• a manufacturer of personal care products• The stressors could include the same sorts of triggerssuspected in the immunediseasetheory, ranging from viruses to personalcatastrophes.• I liked talking to people and solving problems, but as you get promoted within a firm you lose that personalcontact.• It is not just in professional and business circles that personal contacts help people obtain jobs.• The novel is based on the author's own personal experience.• In those days it was socially unacceptable for men to cry in public, or to express their personalfeelings.• a personalfitnesstrainer• The absolute right of an editor or journalist to opt for a personal hearing before a complaintscommittee would be removed.• personalhygiene• I'm sorry but my diary is personal. I don't let anyone else read it.• They committed themselves to form a new professional and personalidentity.• All weapons are cleaned and examined before being locked back into the armoury, then personalkit can be dealt with.• There is nothing here requiring personalperformance by the tenant.• The dead man's personalpossessions were sent back to his family.• Beth had a lot of personal problems at that time.• Can I ask you a personal question?• He took personalresponsibility for everything that happened.• I intend to take personal responsibility for seeing that the documents reach you in time.• She felt her problems were too personal to talk about.• I've got my own personalwebsite.personal view• There is no suggestion that Bush has altered his personal views.• This he did, insisting that Mr Bangemann's remarksreflected his own personal views.• Women can form a communalbond quickly, but may be reluctant to stand up for their personal views.• Rotatingwriters offering their personal views include Jay Harlow on fish and seafood.• Atypically, neither the personal view nor the soundings pieces are anecdotal.• The next crisis followed almost immediately, and once more Anselm took a similarly personal view of his responsibilities.• Television gives ordinarycitizens an unmediated, directpersonal view of world events. 2.• Next month, some famous demo-dudes express their personal views on the scene.personal life• A process of change begins now that filters through into every aspect of your personal life.• As far as can be seen, they were not involved in their lord's personal life.• Father Tim was feeling the confusion of too many options in his personal life.• With Osterlind he discussedart and philosophy but not his personal life.• In earlier chapters, we saw that our emotional life is centrally important in the growth of our personal life and faith.• Meanwhile, in personal life he became a reasonably prosperous but crotchetylandowner.• New Managers' Personal Lives How did their promotion change the new managers' personal lives?• Phillips' personal life will be thoroughly scrutinized by each interested team.get personal• Cullen, a formeruniversityhistorian known for his bitingwit, has occasionally got personal.• I thought I might as well get personal.• Pharmacogenetics of cancertherapy: getting personal.• These kind of games were being played by kids in homes and schools long before computers got personal.• And that incentive was increased when they got personalrecognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.• The thing of jack is, he gets personal with words.personal appearance• The activity centres around the big top in Stockton High Street offering free all day entertainment with live broadcasts and personal appearances.• The Romans were interested in conveying aspects of individualcharacter as these were reflected in personal appearance.• Buyers expect salespeople to be business-like in their personal appearance and behaviour.• Therefore, a regulardailyroutine should be developed so that care of personal appearance and hygiene is automatic.• Political officials offer their views in personal appearances before the citizens.• Women may sense that their own nature is being violated when any choice in personal appearance is taken away from them.• The personal appearance of Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-man, the X-Men and other comic book heroes.• He cared little about his living conditions, his personal appearance, or social amenities.
