impersonal

[ im-pur-suh-nl ]

adjective

1. not personal; without reference or connection to a particular person:

   an impersonal remark.

2. having no personality; devoid of human character or traits:

   an impersonal deity.

3. lacking human emotion or warmth:

   an impersonal manner.

4. Grammar.
   1. (of a verb) having only third person singular forms and rarely if ever accompanied by an expressed subject, as Latin pluit “it is raining,” or regularly accompanied by an empty subject word, as English to rain in It is raining.
   2. (of a pronoun or pronominal reference) indefinite, as French on “one.”

noun

1. Grammar. an impersonal verb or pronoun.

impersonal

/ ɪmˈpɜːsənəl /

adjective

1. without reference to any individual person; objective

   an impersonal assessment

2. devoid of human warmth or sympathy; cold

   an impersonal manner

3. not having human characteristics

   an impersonal God

4. grammar (of a verb) having no logical subject. Usually in English the pronoun it is used in such cases as a grammatical subject, as for example in It is raining
5. grammar (of a pronoun) not denoting a person

Derived Forms

• imˌpersonˈality, noun
• imˈpersonally, adverb

Other Words From

• im·person·al·ly adverb
• super·im·person·al adjective
• super·im·person·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of impersonal¹

From the Late Latin word impersōnālis, dating back to 1510–20. See im- ², personal

Example Sentences

For three years, the Crew temporarily shared Ohio Stadium, the home of Ohio State football, an experience that was both impersonal and highly personal.

From Los Angeles Times

Residents were already complaining about vandalism, broken lifts and lights, and of the estate feeling impersonal.

From BBC

And in Black communities most severely affected by the impersonal whims of the prison industry, a unique program has been fostered, intended for girls seeking a deeper connection to their incarcerated fathers: a date with them at the jail.

From Los Angeles Times

One of Hamaguchi’s supreme gifts is capturing every tense current of spoken communication in a long verbal exchange, and this one is another master class — like watching James Cameron handle an action scene, only it’s the laying bare of human stakes in a fight between impersonal profiteers and nature-conscious citizens.

From Los Angeles Times

Another option is Language Line, an online on-demand translation service, but it can take longer and feel impersonal.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• abstract
• detached
• indifferent
• remote