1. Plural of personalist; philosophers or thinkers who emphasize the importance of individual persons, personal experience, or personality in metaphysics, ethics, or religion.
Usage: philosophy; formal
2. People who practice or advocate personalism, a philosophical or religious movement centered on the value and dignity of the individual person.
Usage: formal

Examples

• The personalists of the 20th century rejected purely abstract or impersonal philosophical systems.
• Many religious personalists argue that God's relationship with humanity is fundamentally personal.
• Personalists emphasize that individual consciousness and experience are central to understanding reality.
• The conference brought together personalists from different philosophical traditions to discuss the nature of the self.
• Some personalists critique utilitarian ethics for treating individuals as mere units in a larger calculation.