impersonality

\(|)im, əm+\ noun

Etymology: impersonal (I) + -ity

1. : the lack or absence of a personal or human character

the impersonality of natural law

2. : the quality or state of not involving personal feelings or the emotions or of being unemotional and disinterested

marveled at the impersonality of the thinking of so passionate a man

the emotional detachment and impersonality required of a good playwright — Leslie Rees

so much impersonality, so much coldness and emphasis on technique — Manny Farber

3.

a. : the quality or state of not involving, not being activated by, or not tracing to a personal agent

the impersonality of the popular ballad

the impersonality of the machine

b. : a quality or state marked by an absence or suppression of human expression or a minimizing of the significance of personality

the impersonality of society

the impersonality of the world money market

c. : the quality of not bearing on only a single or a particular person

the impersonality, the universality of his remarks

4. : something impersonal

forced to deal with impersonalities such as the state or the law