impersonal

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɝsənəl/

Adjective

impersonal (comparative more impersonal, superlative most impersonal)

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

   An almighty but impersonal power, called Fate. –Sir J. Stephen. (Can we date this quote?)

2. Lacking warmth or emotion; cold.

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

3. (grammar, of a verb or other word) Not having a subject, or having a third person pronoun without an antecedent.

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

Synonyms

• (grammar): monopersonal, unipersonal

Derived terms

• impersonal verb

Related terms

• personal

Translations

not representing a person

• Catalan: impersonal
• Czech: neosobní
• Dutch: onpersoonlijk (nl)
• Finnish: persoonaton
• Galician: impersoal
• German: unpersönlich (de)
• Greek: απρόσωπος (el) (aprósopos)

• Hungarian: személytelen (hu)
• Ido: nepersonala (io)
• Kashubian: bezòsobòwi
• Russian: безли́чный (ru) (bezlíčnyj), обезли́ченный (ru) (obezlíčennyj)
• Spanish: impersonal (es)

lacking warmth or emotion

• Belarusian: бязлі́кі (bjazlíki)
• Bulgarian: обективен (bg) (obektiven)
• Catalan: impersonal
• Czech: neosobní
• Dutch: onpersoonlijk (nl)
• Finnish: persoonaton
• Galician: impersoal
• German: unpersönlich (de)

• Greek: απρόσωπος (el) (aprósopos)
• Hungarian: személytelen (hu), közömbös (hu), érzéketlen (hu), rideg (hu)
• Portuguese: impessoal (pt)
• Russian: отчуждённый (ru) (otčuždjónnyj), безли́кий (ru) (bezlíkij)
• Spanish: impersonal (es)
• Ukrainian: безли́кий (uk) (bezlýkyj)

grammar

• Belarusian: безасабо́вы (bjezasabóvy)
• Breton: dic'hour (br)
• Bulgarian: безличен (bg) (bezličen)
• Catalan: impersonal
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無人稱 (zh), 无人称 (zh) (wúrénchēng)

• Estonian: umbisikuline
• Finnish: persoonaton
• French: impersonnel (fr)
• Galician: impersoal
• German: unpersönlich (de)

• Greek: απρόσωπος (el) (aprósopos)
• Hungarian: személytelen (hu)
• Kumyk: бетсиз (betsiz)
• Latin: impersonalis
• Polish: bezosobowy (pl)
• Russian: безли́чный (ru) (bezlíčnyj)
• Spanish: impersonal (es)
• Ukrainian: безособо́вий (uk) (bezosobóvyj)

Noun

impersonal (plural impersonals)

1. (grammar) An impersonal word or construct.

Anagrams

• mailperson, prolamines

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin impersōnālis.

Adjective

impersonal (masculine and feminine plural impersonals)

1. impersonal (not representing a person)

   Antonym: personal

2. (grammar) impersonal (not having a subject)

Derived terms

• impersonalitat
• impersonalitzar
• impersonalment

Further reading

• “impersonal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “impersonal” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “impersonal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “impersonal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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Old French

Adjective

impersonal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular impersonale)

1. (grammar) impersonal

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin impersōnālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /impersoˈnal/, [ĩmpersoˈnal]

Adjective

impersonal (plural impersonales)

1. impersonal (not representing a person)

   Antonym: personal

2. (grammar) impersonal (not having a subject)

Derived terms

• impersonalidad
• impersonalizar
• impersonalmente

Further reading

• “impersonal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.