Meaning & use
personalized
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“personalized” is a form of “personalize”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Made to suit one particular person, often with their name or details on it.
Grammar: Comes before the noun: a personalized gift.
Patterns
- a personalized gift
- personalized for someone
She gave him a personalized mug with his name on it.
The company sends personalized emails to each customer.
A personalized plan helped him lose weight.
verbtransitive
Past form of personalize: made something suit or show the identity of one person.
Grammar: Takes an object: they personalized the cards.
Patterns
- personalize something with something
He personalized the notebook with his initials.
The teacher personalized each report for the student.
They personalized the invitations with handwritten notes.
Word forms
| third person singular | personalizes |
|---|---|
| past tense | personalized |
| past participle | personalized |
| -ing form | personalizing |
Common combinations
- personalized gift
- A personalized gift shows you put thought into it.
- personalized service
- The hotel is known for personalized service.
- personalized recommendations
- The app offers personalized recommendations.
- personalized learning
- Personalized learning lets students move at their own pace.
- personalized medicine
- Personalized medicine uses a patient's genes to guide treatment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- customized
- Customized is broader and covers changing something for needs or taste, not necessarily adding a name.
- tailored
- Tailored suggests careful fitting to a person's needs, like a suit made to measure.
- bespoke
- Bespoke is a British word for items made individually, and sounds more upmarket.
- individualized
- Individualized is more formal and is common in education and care.
Opposites
Word family
- personalize verb
- to make something suit one person
- personalization noun
- the act of making something personal
- personal adjective
- belonging to one person
- personality noun
- a person's character
- personally adverb
- by oneself, or as far as one is concerned
Commonly confused: personalized or personified?
personalized vs personified
Personified means described as a person, such as when a poet speaks of Death as a man, while personalized means made for one person.
Practice
The bakery offers ___ cakes with the customer's name written in icing.
Choose one answer.
Personalized means made for a specific person. Personified and personnel are different words, and personal does not suggest custom-making.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “personalized”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.