personable

What it means

1. Of a person: having a pleasing appearance; attractive; handsome.

   I admit him a personable man, for I have seen him; and I will suppose him courteous and agreeable.

   1822 May 29, [Walter Scott], chapter VIII, in The Fortunes of Nigel. […], volume II (in English), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 182

   3 more examples

   We ſee one woman, whiche by one man hath manie children, of theym ſome be fayre and perſonable, ſome ill fauoured and croked, […]

   1541, [Aelius Lampridius], “The Oracion of the Emperour Alexãder to the People of Rome”, in Thomas Elyote [i.e., Thomas Elyot], transl., The Image of Gouernaunce Complied of the Actes and Sentences Notable, of the Most Noble Emperour Alexander Seuerus, […], [London]: […] Thomas Berthelett, published 1549, →OCLC, folio 102, recto

   I vvas Tall and Perſonable, but a little too ſmooth Fac'd for a Man; hovvever as I ſeldom vvent Abroad, but in the Night it did vvell enough; […]

   1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, page 263

   He regarded himself as dressed. Barefoot, bare-chested, radiant and personable against the shadowy woods, he called: "Hullo, Miss Honeychurch! Hullo!"

   1908, E[dward] M[organ] Forster, “Twelfth Chapter”, in A Room with a View, London: Edward Arnold, →OCLC, part II, page 204

   Synonyms: good-looking, attractive, beauteous, beautifool, beautiful, beautimous, bona vardering, bonnie · Antonyms: unattractive, unpersonable, brendan, bad, beat, butters, butt-ugly, clapped

2. Of a person: having a pleasant manner; amiable, friendly.

   The much more sophisticated and personable chatbots of today are the “Eliza effect on steroids,” [Sherry] Turkle said.

   2025 December 19, Kashmir Hill, quoting Sherry Turkle, “Why Do A.I. Chatbots Use ‘I’?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Dec 2025

   3 more examples

   A thouſand thoughts ſhe faſhioned in her mind, / And in her feigning fancie did pourtray / Him ſuch, as fitteſt he for loue could find, / VViſe, vvarlike, perſonable, courteous, and kind.

   1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 5, page 445

   I'm bound to admit that you're a personable young rascal, with the best manners I've met in a long time, but I warn you that you can't go far.

   1919, Joseph A[lexander] Altsheler, “Music in the Moonlight”, in The Sun of Quebec: A Story of a Great Crisis (The French and Indian War Series; 6), New York, N.Y.: Appleton-Century-Crofts, →OCLC, page 88

   Aside from being incredibly funny and personable he [David] Letterman is generous, kind and is great fun to play catch with.

   2003 September 22, Randy James, quoting Stephanie Birkitt, “2-Min. Bio: Stephanie Birkitt: Letterman's Lover?”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., published 5 October 2009, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 Oct 2010

   Synonyms: affable, agreeable, likeable, affectionate, amiable, bonhomous, amicable, chummy · Antonyms: unpersonable, adverse, antagonistic, conflicting, contentious, counteracting, hostile, incompatible

3. obsoleterareSynonym of personal (“done in person, without an intermediary”).

   Synonyms: personal

In a sentence

We ſee one woman, whiche by one man hath manie children, of theym ſome be fayre and perſonable, ſome ill fauoured and croked, […]

1541, [Aelius Lampridius], “The Oracion of the Emperour Alexãder to the People of Rome”, in Thomas Elyote [i.e., Thomas Elyot], transl., The Image of Gouernaunce Complied of the Actes and Sentences Notable, of the Most Noble Emperour Alexander Seuerus, […], [London]: […] Thomas Berthelett, published 1549, →OCLC, folio 102, recto

Where it comes from

1. Latin-ābilis
2. Medieval Latinpersōna“person”
3. Medieval Latinpersonābilis“personal”
4. Old Frenchpersonable
5. Middle Frenchpersonable
6. Middle Englishpersonable
7. Englishpersonable

From Late Middle English personable, personabil (“having a pleasing appearance, handsome”), and then from both of the following: * For sense 1 (“having a pleasing appearance”) and sense 2 (“having a pleasant manner”) (these senses are not found in Old French or Medieval Latin), probably from person, personne, persoun (“individual, person”) + -āble (suffix meaning ‘able or worthy to be’ forming adjectives). * For sense 3.1 (“synonym of personal”) and sense 3.2 (“being a legal person”), from Middle French personable and Old French personable, and from their etymon Medieval Latin personābilis (“personal”), possibly from Medieval Latin persōna (“person”) + Latin -ābilis (suffix meaning ‘able or worthy to be’). By surface analysis, person + -able (suffix meaning ‘relevant or suitable to’).