impersonal
adjective
im·per·son·al
| \ (ˌ)im-ˈpərs-nəl
, -ˈpər-sə-nəl\
, -ˈpər-sə-nəl\
Definition of impersonal
1a
: denoting the verbal action of an unspecified agent and hence used with no expressed subject (such as methinks) or with a merely formal subject (such as rained in it rained)
2a
: having no personal reference or connection
impersonal criticism
b
: not engaging the human personality or emotions
the machine as compared with the hand tool is an impersonal agency— John Dewey
c
: not existing as a person : not having human qualities or characteristics
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Other Words from impersonal
impersonality
\ (ˌ)im-ˌpər-sə-ˈna-lə-tē
\
noun
\
noun
impersonally
\ (ˌ)im-ˈpərs-nə-lē
, -ˈpər-sə-nə-lē \
adverb
, -ˈpər-sə-nə-lē \
adverb
Examples of impersonal in a Sentence
We discussed the weather and other impersonal topics.
He maintained an impersonal, professional attitude.
“Rained” in “it rained” is an impersonal verb.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Experts are grabbing curation from the greedy clutches of impersonal AI. — Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: Classical streaming has arrived. How do the new services stack up?," 29 Aug. 2019 One overarching irony is that fast-food chains are frequently characterized as corporate and impersonal. — Adam Chandler, Time, "Texans Are Very Upset About the Sale of Whataburger. Here's Why That Reaction Makes Total Sense," 21 June 2019 In his documentaries, his impersonal camera does not probe inner lives but simply records: the space, the movements, the soundscape (snatches of pop and folk songs, anthems, tolling bells), the flow of time and ultimately of history. — The Economist, "A bold Ukrainian film-maker charts the line between fiction and truth," 25 July 2019 Or consider Airbnb, which edged out impersonal hotels and cramped rooms at high prices. — Richard Bailey, Quartz at Work, "Disruption fatigue demands a new approach to being disruptive," 11 July 2019 In fact, the two liberalisms — one offering genuine human freedom, the other entrapping humans in impersonal and often ruthless market mechanisms — were always fundamentally in conflict. — Pankaj Mishra, Twin Cities, "Pankaj Mishra: Putin’s wrong, but so are liberals," 11 July 2019 Declining investment rates are more about the behaviour of relatively impersonal economic forces rather than persons whose psychology can be manipulated to produce the desired result. — Jayati Ghosh, Quartz India, "Reviving India’s household savings and investments should be the budget’s top concern," 5 July 2019 Even back then, the experience of being battered was recognizably impersonal to me. — Elaine Blair, The New York Review of Books, "Fighting for Her Life," 17 June 2019 To help Sysak stand out, Barrett encouraged him to lose the dimly lit photos and impersonal selfies that populated his old dating profiles, and replace them with brighter photos that highlighted his playful personality. — NBC News, "Online dating boot camp? How 'dating stylists' are helping frustrated singles find love.," 15 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impersonal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for impersonal
impersonal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of impersonal
: having or showing no interest in individual people or their feelings : lacking emotional warmth
: not relating to or influenced by personal feelings
grammar
: having no specified subject or no subject other than "it"
See the full definition for impersonal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
impersonal
adjective
im·per·son·al
| \ im-ˈpər-sə-nəl
\
\
Kids Definition of impersonal
1
: not caring about individual persons or their feelings
She disliked the large impersonal city.
2
: not showing or involving personal feelings
We discussed the weather and other impersonal topics.
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