impersonal

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

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

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

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.”

• personal

impersonal (plural impersonals)

1. (grammar) An impersonal word or construct.

• mailperson, prolamines

Borrowed from Latin impersōnālis.

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

impersonal m or f (masculine and feminine plural impersonals)

1. impersonal (not representing a person)

   Antonym: personal

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

• impersonalitat
• impersonalitzar
• impersonalment

• “impersonal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “impersonal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “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.

impersonal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular impersonale)

1. (grammar) impersonal

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

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

1. impersonal

From Latin impersōnālis.

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

impersonal m or f (masculine and feminine plural impersonales)

1. impersonal (not representing a person)

   Antonym: personal

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

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