personal day

[ pur-suh-nl dey ]

noun

1. a day that an employee chooses to take off from work for personal reasons:

   I took a personal day to attend my sister's graduation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of personal day¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

He was given a personal day Thursday.

From Seattle Times

It was so difficult to plan for days off, he said, that many resorted to calling in sick when they needed a personal day.

From New York Times

A summer vacation getaway doesn’t need to be an overnight haul for your family, out-of-town guests, or a personal day trip.

From Seattle Times

About 10.9 million workers could plan to take Monday off as a pre-approved personal day, while 4.7 million would be no-shows, 3.1 million would call in sick even though they aren’t sick, and 9.4 million would decide last-minute what to do.

From Los Angeles Times

I hit the submit button, and a second later came my answer: “Your personal day of death is Wednesday, April 23, 2031.”

From Washington Post