Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Not relating to or characteristic of a particular person; impersonal: Describes something that is not associated with an individual's identity, feelings, or characteristics. It often refers to forces, systems, or entities that operate without human personality or individual bias.
   • Lacking personality or personal qualities: Indicates an absence of distinctive individual character or human-like attributes.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The report was written in a dry, nonpersonal style. (The report's tone was factual and not expressive of individual perspective.)
  • Market fluctuations are often driven by nonpersonal economic forces. (Changes in the market are caused by broad, impersonal factors, not individual actions.)

Advanced Usage

• In formal or technical contexts: Used to describe systems, data, or analyses that are objective and not tied to individual identities.
  • The study used nonpersonal aggregated data to protect participant privacy.
• In philosophy or sociology: Can describe abstract concepts or societal structures that exist independently of individual people.
  • He argued that bureaucracy is a nonpersonal form of authority.

Variants and Related Words

• Impersonal (adj): Similar in meaning, often used interchangeably to describe something not influenced by, or not showing, personal feelings.
• Nonpersonally (adv): In a nonpersonal manner.
  • The law applies nonpersonally to all corporations.

Synonyms

• Impersonal
• Objective
• Neutral
• General

Antonyms

• Personal
• Subjective
• Individual

Related Phrases and Usage Notes

• Nonpersonal account: A type of account, such as a corporate or institutional account, not held in an individual's name.
• Nonpersonal communication: Communication that is not directed at or from a specific individual, such as official announcements or automated messages.
• Usage Note: "Nonpersonal" is often used in legal, technical, and academic writing to emphasize the absence of personal connection or bias, distinguishing it from the more common "impersonal."

Adjective

1. lacking personality
   • nonpersonal forces