impersonal
impersonal — 形容詞
1. having a cold, distant quality that makes a place, situation, or interaction fee
冷漠的
缺乏人情溫暖，令人感到疏離
having a cold, distant quality that makes a place, situation, or interaction feel unwelcoming and lacking in emotional connection
The waiting room felt cold and impersonal, with bright lights and hard chairs.
候診室裡燈光明亮、座椅堅硬，感覺冷漠又不近人情。
collocation: cold and impersonal
Bao received an impersonal email from the company with no greeting or signature.
Bao 收到一封冷漠的電子郵件，沒有稱呼也沒有簽名。
The Grand Horizon chain felt impersonal compared to the small inn run by the Lee family.
Grand Horizon 連鎖飯店跟 Lee 家經營的小旅館相比，顯得很冷漠。
Élise found the manager's tone impersonal and distant during the quarterly review meeting.
Élise 覺得經理在季度檢討會議中的語氣冷漠又疏遠。
The online application process felt impersonal, so Yasmin called the office directly.
線上申請流程感覺很冷漠，所以 Yasmin 直接打電話到辦公室。
- cold
more general; can describe temperature or emotion; 'impersonal' is specifically about lack of human connection
- distant
focuses on emotional remoteness in personal interactions
- detached
suggests deliberate separation of feelings, often in professional contexts
- clinical
suggests a cold, efficient, emotionless quality, often in medical or institutional settings
用法筆記
Often applied to places, organizations, or procedures rather than to an individual person's deliberate behaviour. A large hospital can feel impersonal; a rude clerk is unfriendly, not impersonal.
常見錯誤
2. not mentioning or aimed at any specific person by name; treating people as a gro
不具名
不指名道姓，不針對特定個人
not mentioning or aimed at any specific person by name; treating people as a group rather than as named individuals
The letter was entirely impersonal — it began with 'Dear Resident' and gave no names.
這封信完全不具名——開頭寫著「親愛的住戶」，沒有提到任何人的名字。
impersonal letter / impersonal opening
Ishaan received an impersonal rejection notice that did not mention his application details.
Ishaan 收到一封不具名的拒絕通知，裡面完全沒提到他的申請資料。
The survey used impersonal language, referring to 'respondents' instead of real people.
這份問卷使用不具名的語言，用「受訪者」來稱呼，而不是直接寫出姓名。
When the HR director said 'some employees have concerns,' the impersonal statement avoided naming anyone.
人資主管說「部分員工有疑慮」時，這種不具名的說法避開了直接點名任何人。
The city council kept its flood warning impersonal to avoid singling out any neighbourhood.
市議會刻意讓洪水警報維持不具名，以免針對任何一個社區。
- anonymous
stronger — the source or identity is unknown; 'impersonal' suggests the style, not the unknown author
- generic
focuses on lack of specific details; 'impersonal' emphasises the absence of personal reference
- general
broader, less specific in many ways; 'impersonal' is specifically about avoiding personal names
- personal
addressed to or concerning a particular person
- named
mentioning someone by name
- individualised
tailored to a specific person
用法筆記
Common in formal or bureaucratic writing where the writer intentionally avoids naming specific individuals. Contrast with sense 1: a letter can be impersonal (sense 2 — no names) without being cold (sense 1).
常見錯誤
3. describing a verb or sentence whose subject is 'it' or 'there' and carries no re
非人稱的
主詞為 it 或 there 的語法結構
describing a verb or sentence whose subject is 'it' or 'there' and carries no reference to any actual person, thing, or agent
In grammar, 'It is raining' is an impersonal sentence because 'it' does not refer to anything.
在文法中，「It is raining」是一個非人稱句，因為 it 並不指涉任何具體事物。
classic example: 'it is raining' with dummy subject
Mrs. Okafor explained that 'there is' and 'there are' begin impersonal constructions in English.
Okafor 老師解釋說「there is」和「there are」在英文中引導的是非人稱結構。
The verb 'to snow' is used impersonally — Aiko wrote 'It snowed all night.'
動詞「to snow」以非人稱形式使用——Aiko 寫了「It snowed all night」。
When Kian wrote 'It seems late,' he used an impersonal verb with 'it' as the subject.
Kian 寫「It seems late」時，用的是以 it 為主詞的非人稱動詞。
In Japanese and Turkish, weather verbs appear in impersonal forms that lack a real subject.
在日語和土耳其語中，天氣動詞以非人稱形式出現，沒有真正的主詞。
- personal
in grammar, a personal verb has a real subject referring to a person or thing
用法筆記
A technical grammar term. The most common impersonal subjects in English are 'it' (e.g., 'It is hot') and 'there' (e.g., 'There are three options'). Do not confuse with senses 1 or 2 — this sense refers only to grammatical structure, not to emotional tone or anonymity.
常見錯誤
4. existing or operating in a way that is not connected to any human being; not hav
非人的
不具人類形式或特質
existing or operating in a way that is not connected to any human being; not having human form, feelings, or characteristics
In the novel 'Frankenstein,' nature acts as an impersonal force without human feelings.
在小說《科學怪人》中，大自然是一種非人的力量，沒有人類的情感。
impersonal force: nature as an agent without human traits
The 2017 WannaCry virus spread as an impersonal agent, hitting hospitals and offices.
2017 年的 WannaCry 病毒以非人的媒介傳播，侵襲醫院和辦公室。
Ancient people believed the stars had souls, but modern science sees them as impersonal objects.
古人認為星辰有靈魂，但現代科學把它們視為非人的天體。
In Carl Sagan's view, the universe is vast and impersonal, caring nothing for human life.
在 Carl Sagan 的觀點中，宇宙浩瀚而不具人類特質，對人類生命毫不關心。
Deism sees God as an impersonal creator who does not answer prayers or intervene.
自然神論認為神是一位非人的創造者，不回應祈禱也不介入世事。
- human
having human qualities or form
- personal
relating to or connected with a person
- anthropomorphic
having human characteristics attributed to non-human things
用法筆記
Often used in philosophy, religion, or science to describe forces, powers, or entities that do not have human emotions, intentions, or physical form. Distinguish from sense 1: a force of nature is impersonal (sense 4 — not human); a bureaucratic system is impersonal (sense 1 — lacking warmth).