impersonal
gb/ɪmpˈɚsənəl/ us/ɪmpˈɚsənəl/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
not warm or friendly
cold and not friendly, as if you do not care about the person
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s/[something]'s manner/tone is impersonal
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse impersonal with 'unimportant'; it usually means 'not warm' or 'not human/individual'.
Synonyms
cold (Stronger emotional sense; suggests lack of warmth.)
|
distant (Focuses on emotional distance, not necessarily rudeness.)
|
detached (Suggests not emotionally involved.)
Antonyms
warm (Shows friendliness and caring.)
|
friendly (Actively kind and welcoming.)
Collocations
an impersonal manner
|an impersonal tone
|an impersonal response
|an impersonal relationship
|impersonal communication
|impersonal treatment
|an impersonal approach
|an impersonal atmosphere
|impersonal service
|an impersonal style
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|communication
Examples
- His reply was polite but impersonal, as if he were writing to a stranger.
- The meeting felt impersonal, with everyone reading from prepared notes.
- She disliked the impersonal way the staff spoke to patients.
Learner examples
- The email sounded impersonal.
- The service was quick but impersonal.
adjective
B2
property
2
not aimed at one person
about people in general, not about one specific person
Usage pattern:
an impersonal remark/comment/criticism/decision
Common mistake:
Impulsive confusion with 'anonymous': impersonal can be general even when the speaker is known.
Synonyms
general (Emphasizes broad applicability rather than lack of feeling.)
|
nonpersonal (Directly contrasts with 'personal'; common in business contexts.)
Antonyms
personal (Directed at a particular person or involving personal feelings.)
|
targeted (Aimed at a specific person or group.)
Collocations
an impersonal remark
|impersonal criticism
|an impersonal comment
|an impersonal rejection
|an impersonal decision
|an impersonal policy
|an impersonal rule
|an impersonal message
|impersonal advice
|an impersonal statement
Themes
communication
|social_issues
Examples
- His comments were meant to be impersonal, but she still felt criticized.
- The letter was an impersonal notice sent to all tenants.
- Try to keep your feedback impersonal and focus on the work.
Learner examples
- It was an impersonal announcement for everyone.
- Please keep your criticism impersonal.
adjective
B2
property
3
from a system, not a person
not personal because it is done by a large system or technology
Usage pattern:
an impersonal system/process/service
Synonyms
bureaucratic (Emphasizes rules and procedures rather than human care.)
|
faceless (Highlights anonymity and lack of identifiable people.)
Antonyms
personalized (Tailored to an individual.)
|
human (Emphasizes direct human contact and empathy.)
Collocations
an impersonal system
|an impersonal process
|impersonal bureaucracy
|an impersonal corporation
|an impersonal workplace
|an impersonal office
|impersonal customer service
|an impersonal call center
|an impersonal platform
|impersonal online service
Themes
business
|technology
|daily_life
Examples
- The complaints process is impersonal and hard to navigate.
- Online banking can feel impersonal compared with talking to a teller.
- He found corporate life too impersonal and left to join a small team.
Learner examples
- The website support is impersonal.
- I prefer a more personal service.
adjective
technical
C1
property
4
not having a real subject
in grammar, used without a real subject like a person
Usage pattern:
an impersonal verb/clause/construction
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'impersonal' means 'rude' in grammar contexts; here it is a technical label about sentence structure.
Synonyms
subjectless (Often used informally in grammar discussion; not always strictly accurate.)
Antonyms
personal (In grammar, explicitly refers to a person or grammatical person.)
Collocations
impersonal verb
|impersonal construction
|impersonal clause
|impersonal sentence
|impersonal subject
|impersonal expression
|dummy it
|anticipatory it
|existential there
|impersonal form
Themes
language
|grammar
|education
Examples
- In “It seems that we’re late,” the clause uses an impersonal construction with dummy it.
- Some languages allow impersonal verbs that do not take a personal subject.
- Teachers often use impersonal sentences to keep explanations general.
Learner examples
- “It is raining” is an impersonal sentence.
- “It seems” uses an impersonal subject.
adjective
formal
B2
property
5
avoiding I and you in writing
written in a neutral way, without saying I or you
Usage pattern:
an impersonal style/tone/voice
Synonyms
objective (Focuses on facts rather than personal opinions; may still be personal in grammar.)
|
formal (Broader than impersonal; includes politeness and convention.)
Antonyms
personal (Uses I/we and personal experience or opinions.)
|
conversational (Sounds like everyday speech and addresses the reader directly.)
Collocations
an impersonal style
|an impersonal tone
|an impersonal voice
|impersonal language
|impersonal writing
|impersonal phrasing
|academic impersonal style
|an impersonal report
|an impersonal statement
|impersonal passive
Themes
education
|writing
|academic
Examples
- The report uses an impersonal style to sound more objective.
- Try to keep the tone impersonal when writing formal complaints.
- Academic writing often sounds impersonal because it avoids “I.”
Learner examples
- The essay is written in an impersonal style.
- Don’t use “I” if you need an impersonal tone.
Grammar
Dictionary form
impersonal
IPA
GB/ɪmpˈɚsənəl/
US/ɪmpˈɚsənəl/
Syllables & stress
im - per - son - al (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (per)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: impersonal
Word family
Expressions
impersonal it
1/ɪmpˈɚsənəl ˈɪt/
fixed phrase
technical
dummy it without real meaning
“it” used as a subject with no real meaning
Examples
- The “it” in “It’s snowing” is sometimes called impersonal it.
- We use impersonal it in time expressions like “It’s late.”
- In class, they practiced rewriting sentences that use impersonal it.
impersonal passive
1/ɪmpˈɚsənəl pˈæsɪv/
fixed phrase
technical
passive with dummy subject
a passive form that doesn’t say who did it
Examples
- The notice uses an impersonal passive: “It has been decided that parking will be restricted.”
- Writers sometimes choose an impersonal passive to avoid blaming anyone directly.
- In some varieties of English, impersonal passives are more common in formal announcements.
impersonal pronoun
1/ɪmpˈɚsənəl pɹˈoʊnaʊn/
fixed phrase
technical
pronoun used generally, not personally
a pronoun that means “people in general,” not one person
Examples
- In English, “you” is often used as an impersonal pronoun, as in “You never know what will happen.”
- Some languages use different words specifically as impersonal pronouns.
- The teacher asked students to replace “I” with an impersonal pronoun to make the statement more general.
impersonal style
1/ɪmpˈɚsənəl stˈaɪl/
fixed phrase
formal
formal writing without I/you
a formal style that doesn’t say I or you
Examples
- Many universities recommend an impersonal style in lab reports.
- The editor changed several sentences to an impersonal style to make the article sound more objective.
- If you want an impersonal style, you can use passive voice in some sentences.
impersonal verb
1/ɪmpˈɚsənəl vˈɚb/
fixed phrase
technical
verb without a personal subject
a verb used without a real person as the subject
Examples
- In “It is raining,” the verb phrase is often described as impersonal.
- Some grammar books call “seem” an impersonal verb in sentences like “It seems that she’s right.”
- The lesson compared personal and impersonal verbs across several languages.