impersonal

CEFRB2

/ɪmˈpɝsənəl/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Not showing personal feelings or attention.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Lacking warmth or emotion; cold.

Examples

  • The impersonal tone made the email seem cold.

  • The large corporation has a very impersonal atmosphere.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
2
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • /ɪmˈpɜː.sn̩.ɫ̩/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Not having a subject, or having a third person pronoun without an antecedent.

  2. Not personal; not representing a person; not having personality.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. An impersonal word or construct.

More examples

In context

  • The impersonal message was automated.

  • She sounded impersonal as she gave her report of the Nazi death camps.

  • The verb “rain” is impersonal in sentences like “It’s raining.”

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The manager's reply was strictly business and felt very blank, without any warmth.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From French impersonnel, from Latin impersōnālis, from im- (“not”) + persōnālis (“personal”), equivalent to im- + personal.