personally

The word “personally” means used to show that something is one's own private opinion or feeling. In plain terms, in one's own opinion, or done in person, or affecting oneself specifically.

“Personally” is pronounced PUR-suh-nuh-lee (/ˈpɝ.sə.nə.li/ in IPA).

Here is “personally” used in a sentence: “Personally, I think the movie was overrated.”

“Personally” is an adverb.

“Personally” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Personally” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: used to show that something is one's own private opinion or feeling.

'Personally, I think the plan needs more work.' Here 'personally' flags that what follows is the speaker's own view, not a fact or a shared position. It is often placed at the start of a sentence to soften an opinion and signal that others may disagree.

Both signal a private view and often swap freely. 'In my opinion' states plainly that a judgement is being offered. 'Personally' adds a slightly more emphatic, individual note — this is my own feeling — and can also mean 'in person', as in 'I handled it personally', which 'in my opinion' cannot.

No. It has a second common sense: doing something in person or directly, as in 'she thanked each guest personally.' It can also mean 'as an individual', as in 'don't take it personally.' Context shows whether it marks an opinion or an action done directly.

Yes. Beginning with 'Personally,' followed by a comma is a natural and accepted way to flag that a personal opinion is coming. It is common in both speech and writing, though in very formal contexts some writers prefer to state the view directly without it.