depersonalized
|de-per-son-al-ized|
🇺🇸
/diːˈpɜrsənəlaɪzd/
🇬🇧
/diːˈpɜːsənəlaɪzd/
(depersonalize)
make impersonal / remove personal identity
Etymology
'depersonalize' originates from English formation combining the prefix 'de-' (from Latin 'dē-', meaning 'remove, away from'), the adjective 'personal' (from Latin 'personalis', related to 'persona'), and the verb-forming suffix '-ize' (via Greek/Latin '-izein'/'-izare').
'personal' derives from Latin 'persona' meaning 'mask, character'; 'personal' became 'personalis' in Medieval Latin and entered English as 'personal'; adding 'de-' and '-ize' in modern English produced 'depersonalize' (recorded in the 20th century in psychological and administrative contexts).
Initially built to mean 'to remove personal qualities or personhood,' the term has kept that basic sense but has come to be used both clinically (a mental state) and administratively (making records or services impersonal).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'depersonalize'.
To protect privacy, the records were depersonalized before being shared.
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Adjective 1
experiencing depersonalization: feeling detached from one’s self, as if observing oneself from outside; a sense of unreality about one’s identity.
After the accident she felt depersonalized, as if she were watching herself from outside her body.
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Adjective 2
made impersonal or stripped of individual/personal characteristics (often used of systems, services, or presentations).
The company's depersonalized customer service frustrated many clients.
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Last updated: 2025/10/12 03:51