Meaning & use
personal appearance
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
The way someone looks, including their clothes, hair, and general style.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase. Often after verbs like 'care about' or 'judge by'.
Patterns
- care about your personal appearance
- judge someone by their personal appearance
He takes great pride in his personal appearance and always dresses smartly.
The company expects employees to maintain a neat personal appearance.
She was worried about her personal appearance at the interview.
phrasefixed phrase
An occasion when a famous person appears in public to be seen by fans or the media.
Grammar: Used for celebrities or public figures. Often in the plural: 'personal appearances'.
Patterns
- make a personal appearance
- a personal appearance at
The singer made a surprise personal appearance at the charity event.
She charges a lot for personal appearances at clubs.
His personal appearances are rare, so fans were excited.
Common combinations
- neat personal appearance
- A neat personal appearance is important in this job.
- maintain personal appearance
- She spends a lot of time maintaining her personal appearance.
- make a personal appearance
- The author made a personal appearance at the book fair.
Synonyms and how they differ
- look
- More informal and often about a temporary state: 'I like your new look.'
- appearance
- Shorter and can refer to things as well as people: 'the appearance of the room'.
Commonly confused: personal appearance or appearance?
personal appearance vs appearance
'Appearance' alone can mean the act of coming into view or a false impression, while 'personal appearance' focuses on how a person looks.
Practice
Complete the sentence: The actor made a rare ______ at the film festival.
Choose one answer.
'Personal appearance' fits because it means the actor appeared in public. 'Personal attention' means special care, not a public event.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “personal appearance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.