Meaning & use
being personable
Last updated
Meanings
phraseapproving
the quality of having a pleasant, friendly, and attractive manner that makes others feel comfortable.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase: 'Being personable is an asset in sales.' It can also follow prepositions: 'about being personable'.
Patterns
- being personable with someone
- being personable in a situation
- being personable to someone
Being personable is just as important as being skilled in many jobs.
Her being personable made her popular with clients.
He has a knack for being personable without seeming fake.
phraseapproving
the act of behaving in a friendly and charming way that appeals to others.
Grammar: Often used after verbs like 'enjoy' or 'appreciate': 'I appreciate your being personable.'
Patterns
- being personable with someone
- being personable toward someone
The interviewer noted her being personable throughout the meeting.
Being personable can open doors in any career.
Common combinations
- being personable with
- She is very personable with customers.
- try to be personable
- Try to be personable at the networking event.
- personable manner
- His personable manner made him a great team leader.
- personable and friendly
- The new teacher is personable and friendly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- friendly
- Friendly means kind and pleasant; personable adds a sense of being socially attractive and easy to like.
- charming
- Charming suggests a strong, often deliberate appeal; personable is more about a natural, warm approachability.
- likeable
- Likeable means easy to like; personable emphasizes the social skills that make someone pleasant to be around.
Opposites
Word family
- personable adjective
- Having a pleasant and friendly manner.
- personably adverb
- In a pleasant and friendly manner. (Rare)
- personality noun
- The combination of characteristics that form a person's character.
Commonly confused: being personable or personal?
being personable vs personal
Personal means relating to a person's private life; personable means friendly and pleasant.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The preposition 'with' is used with 'personable' when referring to people you interact with. 'Of', 'for', and 'on' do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being personable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.