personal vs individual (2025)

What's the difference between "personal" and "individual"?

For instance:
That's my personal opinion.
That's my individual opinion.
[ Source: Collins dictionary, to look up the word "personal" ]

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Here are the entries from our dictionary. What differences do you see?

personal adj.

1. of or relating to a person;
   individual:[before a noun]He gave his own, personal opinion.
2. private: My feelings for the deceased were too personal for me to share at the funeral.
3. directed to or intended for a particular person:[before a noun]I asked him for a personal favor.
4. referring or directed offensively to a particular person: personal remarks about his wife.
5. done, carried out, held, etc., in person:[before a noun]a personal interview with the Pope.
6. relating to the body, clothing, or appearance:[before a noun]personal cleanliness.
7. Grammar[before a noun]of, relating to, or showing grammatical person:The personal ending-o in the Spanish hablo , "I speak,'' refers to the speaker, "I.''

Individual adj.

1. single; particular; separate: to number individual copies of a limited edition.
2. intended for the use of one person only:to serve individual portions of a pizza.
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a particular person or thing:individual tastes.
4. distinguished by special, singular, or markedly personal characteristics;
   exhibiting unique or unusual qualities:a highly individual style of painting.
5. existing as a distinct, indivisible entity, or considered as such;
   discrete:individual parts of a tea set.
6. of which each is different or of a different design from the others:a set of individual coffee cups.

PaulQ said:

sonal adj.

1. of or relating to a person;
   individual:[before a noun]He gave his own, personal opinion.
2. private: My feelings for the deceased were too personal for me to share at the funeral.
3. directed to or intended for a particular person:[before a noun]I asked him for a personal favor.
4. referring or directed offensively to a particular person: personal remarks about his wife.
5. done, carried out, held, etc., in person:[before a noun]a personal interview with the Pope.
6. relating to the body, clothing, or appearance:[before a noun]personal cleanliness.
7. Grammar[before a noun]of, relating to, or showing grammatical person:The personal ending-o in the Spanish hablo , "I speak,'' refers to the speaker, "I.''

Individual adj.

1. single; particular; separate: to number individual copies of a limited edition.
2. intended for the use of one person only:to serve individual portions of a pizza.
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a particular person or thing:individual tastes.
4. distinguished by special, singular, or markedly personal characteristics;
   exhibiting unique or unusual qualities:a highly individual style of painting.
5. existing as a distinct, indivisible entity, or considered as such;
   discrete:individual parts of a tea set.
6. of which each is different or of a different design from the others:a set of indivi

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Chasint said:

In the context you give (i.e. about opinions), there is no difference. However in terms of real-life usage, I have only heard "personal opinion" and never "individual opinion."

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Thank you very much for your help : )