impersonal
Definitions
Not relating to any particular person; objective and neutral.
非个人的；客观的
Lacking warmth or human feeling; cold and detached.
冷淡的；没有人情味的
In grammar, of a verb used without a real subject (e.g. 'it is raining').
（语法）无人称的
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedim- (not) + personal = 'not personal' — without any individual face. A form letter is impersonal because it could be addressed to anyone; a cold reception feels impersonal because no real human warmth shows through. Note: this im- means 'not,' unlike the im- in impersonate, which means 'into.'
Root person still carries 15 more wordsWhy It Means This
impersonal is the root with its mask removed. If person = a face/role, then im-person-al = no face at all: a transaction, a tone, or a place stripped of individual identity. That's why it swings between neutral ('an impersonal market force') and negative ('the hospital felt cold and impersonal').
Common Collocations
- 1.impersonal tone客观/冷淡的语气
- 2.cold and impersonal冷冰冰、没有人情味
- 3.impersonal style客观的文风
- 4.impersonal manner冷淡的态度
Example Sentences
- 1.
The rejection letter was cold and impersonal, just a printed form.
- 2.
Big cities can feel impersonal until you find your community.
- 3.
The report keeps an impersonal tone, avoiding 'I' and 'you'.
Easily Confused
impersonal vs impersonate — same im-person- spelling, opposite logic. In impersonal, im- = 'not' (no person, neutral/cold). In impersonate, im- = 'into' (put on a person's mask, act as them). One removes the person; the other steps into one.