impersonal
nounEtymology From French impersonnel, from Latin impersōnālis, from im- (“not”) + persōnālis (“personal”), equivalent to im- + personal.
1
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences An impersonal word or construct.
impersonal
adjUS /ɪmˈpɝsənəl/ · /ɪmˈpɜː.sn̩.ɫ̩/
Etymology From French impersonnel, from Latin impersōnālis, from im- (“not”) + persōnālis (“personal”), equivalent to im- + personal.
1
Not personal; not representing a person; not having personality.
- 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 Fate1853, James Stephen, On Desultory and Systematic Reading: A Lecture:
2
Lacking warmth or emotion; cold.
- She sounded impersonal as she gave her report of the Nazi death camps.
- 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.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
3
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Not having a subject, or having a third person pronoun without an antecedent.
Of a verb or other word
- 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