impersonal

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɝsənəl/
• (Northern England English, Syllabic post-schwa consonants) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɜː.sn̩.ɫ̩/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

impersonal (comparative more impersonal, superlative most impersonal)

1. Not personal; not representing a person; not having personality.
   • 1853, James Stephen, On Desultory and Systematic Reading: A Lecture:

     The great tragedians of Greece reveal to us their people's exquisite sense of beauty, and their faith in an awful, an almighty, but an impersonal power, called Fate

2. Lacking warmth or emotion; cold.

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

   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     And now it appeared that there was a mysterious Queen clothed by rumour with dread and wonderful attributes, and commonly known by the impersonal, but, to my mind, rather awesome title of She.

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

   Synonyms: monopersonal, unipersonal

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

Derived terms

• impersonalise
• impersonalism
• impersonalist
• impersonality
• impersonalization
• impersonalize
• impersonally
• impersonalness
• impersonal passive
• impersonal subject
• impersonal verb
• ultraimpersonal

Related terms

• personal

Translations

not representing a person

• Catalan: impersonal (ca)
• Czech: neosobní
• Dutch: onpersoonlijk (nl)
• Finnish: persoonaton
• Galician: impersoal
• German: unpersönlich (de)
• Greek: απρόσωπος (el) (aprósopos)
• Hungarian: személytelen (hu)
• Ido: nepersonala (io)
• Kashubian: bezòsobòwi
• Polish: bezosobowy (pl)
• Russian: безли́чный (ru) (bezlíčnyj), обезли́ченный (ru) (obezlíčennyj)
• Spanish: impersonal (es)
• Swedish: opersonlig (sv)

lacking warmth or emotion

• Belarusian: бязлі́кі (bjazlíki)
• Catalan: impersonal (ca)
• 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)
• Polish: bezduszny (pl), bezosobowy (pl)
• Portuguese: impessoal (pt)
• Russian: отчуждённый (ru) (otčuždjónnyj), безли́кий (ru) (bezlíkij)
• Spanish: impersonal (es)
• Swedish: opersonlig (sv)
• Ukrainian: безли́кий (uk) (bezlýkyj)

grammar

• Belarusian: безасабо́вы (bjezasabóvy)
• Breton: dic'hour (br)
• Bulgarian: безли́чен (bg) (bezlíčen)
• Catalan: impersonal (ca)
• Chinese:

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

• Estonian: umbisikuline
• Finnish: persoonaton
• French: impersonnel (fr)
• Galician: impersoal
• German: unpersönlich (de)
• Greek: απρόσωπος (el) (aprósopos)
• Hungarian: személytelen (hu)
• Ingrian: liitsatoin
• Kumyk: бетсиз (betsiz)
• Latin: impersonalis
• Polish: bezosobowy (pl)
• Russian: безли́чный (ru) (bezlíčnyj)
• Spanish: impersonal (es)
• Swedish: opersonlig (sv)
• Ukrainian: безособо́вий (uk) (bezosobóvyj)

Noun

impersonal (plural impersonals)

1. (grammar) An impersonal word or construct.

Anagrams

• mailperson, prolamines

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin impersōnālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [im.pər.suˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [im.pər.soˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [im.peɾ.soˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

impersonal m or f (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 [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
• “impersonal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “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.

Old French

Adjective

impersonal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular impersonale)

1. (grammar) impersonal

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French impersonnel, from Latin impersonalis. Equivalent to in- +‎ personal.

Adjective

impersonal m or n (feminine singular impersonală, masculine plural impersonali, feminine and neuter plural impersonale)

1. impersonal

Declension

Declension of impersonal

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	impersonal		impersonală		impersonali	impersonale
	definite	impersonalul		impersonala		impersonalii	impersonalele
genitive- dative	indefinite	impersonal		impersonale		impersonali	impersonale
	definite	impersonalului		impersonalei		impersonalilor	impersonalelor

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin impersōnālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /impeɾsoˈnal/ [ĩm.peɾ.soˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: im‧per‧so‧nal

Adjective

impersonal m or f (masculine and feminine 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 [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10