Meaning & use
Impersonal
Last updated
Not influenced by or involving personal feelings; lacking warmth or individual character.
See it in a sentence
The rejection letter felt cold and impersonal.
Large bureaucracies can feel impersonal, treating people as case numbers rather than individuals.
A note on using this word
In grammar, "impersonal" also describes verbs or constructions with no definite subject, such as "it is raining".
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. adjective
In grammar, describing a verb or construction that has no definite personal subject.
"It seems" is an example of an impersonal construction.
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