英語

impersonal

gb/ɪmpˈɚsənəl/ us/ɪmpˈɚsənəl/
B2 英語
語義
0件の語義
adjective B2 property
1

not warm or friendly

cold and not friendly, as if you do not care about the person

用法パターン: [someone]'s/[something]'s manner/tone is impersonal
よくある間違い:
Learners may confuse impersonal with 'unimportant'; it usually means 'not warm' or 'not human/individual'.
類義語
cold (Stronger emotional sense; suggests lack of warmth.) | distant (Focuses on emotional distance, not necessarily rudeness.) | detached (Suggests not emotionally involved.)
対義語
warm (Shows friendliness and caring.) | friendly (Actively kind and welcoming.)
コロケーション
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
テーマ
emotions |relationships |communication
例文
  • 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.
学習者向け例文
  • 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

用法パターン: an impersonal remark/comment/criticism/decision
よくある間違い:
Impulsive confusion with 'anonymous': impersonal can be general even when the speaker is known.
類義語
general (Emphasizes broad applicability rather than lack of feeling.) | nonpersonal (Directly contrasts with 'personal'; common in business contexts.)
対義語
personal (Directed at a particular person or involving personal feelings.) | targeted (Aimed at a specific person or group.)
コロケーション
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
テーマ
communication |social_issues
例文
  • 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.
学習者向け例文
  • 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

用法パターン: an impersonal system/process/service
類義語
bureaucratic (Emphasizes rules and procedures rather than human care.) | faceless (Highlights anonymity and lack of identifiable people.)
対義語
personalized (Tailored to an individual.) | human (Emphasizes direct human contact and empathy.)
コロケーション
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
テーマ
business |technology |daily_life
例文
  • 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.
学習者向け例文
  • 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

用法パターン: an impersonal verb/clause/construction
よくある間違い:
Learners may think 'impersonal' means 'rude' in grammar contexts; here it is a technical label about sentence structure.
類義語
subjectless (Often used informally in grammar discussion; not always strictly accurate.)
対義語
personal (In grammar, explicitly refers to a person or grammatical person.)
コロケーション
impersonal verb |impersonal construction |impersonal clause |impersonal sentence |impersonal subject |impersonal expression |dummy it |anticipatory it |existential there |impersonal form
テーマ
language |grammar |education
例文
  • 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.
学習者向け例文
  • “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

用法パターン: an impersonal style/tone/voice
類義語
objective (Focuses on facts rather than personal opinions; may still be personal in grammar.) | formal (Broader than impersonal; includes politeness and convention.)
対義語
personal (Uses I/we and personal experience or opinions.) | conversational (Sounds like everyday speech and addresses the reader directly.)
コロケーション
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
テーマ
education |writing |academic
例文
  • 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.”
学習者向け例文
  • The essay is written in an impersonal style.
  • Don’t use “I” if you need an impersonal tone.
文法
辞書形
impersonal
IPA
GB/ɪmpˈɚsənəl/
US/ɪmpˈɚsənəl/
音節・強勢
im - per - son - al (4音節)
Stress on 2nd syllable (per)
活用形
Adjective
  • Base: impersonal
関連語
Core family
person noun A1 personal adjective A2 impersonally adverb C1
Related words
personally adverb B1 personality noun A2 personalize verb B2
Advanced or less common
impersonality noun personalization noun C1
表現

impersonal it

1
/ɪmpˈɚsənəl ˈɪt/
fixed phrase technical

dummy it without real meaning

“it” used as a subject with no real meaning

例文
  • 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

例文
  • 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

例文
  • 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

例文
  • 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

例文
  • 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.

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