Singular they, along with its
inflected or derivative forms,
them,
their,
theirs, and
themselves (also
themself and
theirself), is a
gender-neutral third-person pronoun. It typically occurs with an indeterminate
antecedent, in sentences such as:
"
Somebody left
their umbrella in the office. Could you please let
them know where
they can get it?"
[1]
"My personal rule is to never trust
anyone who says that
they had a good time in high school."
[2]
"
The patient should be told at the outset how much
they will be required to pay."
[3]
"But
a journalist should not be forced to reveal
their sources."
[3]
This use of singular
they had emerged by the 14th century, about a century after the plural
they.
[4][5][2] It has been commonly employed in everyday English ever since and has gained currency in official contexts. Singular
they has been criticised since the mid-18th century by
prescriptive commentators who consider it an error.
[6] Its continued use in modern
standard English has become more common and formally accepted with the move toward
gender-neutral language.
[7][8] Some early-21st-century
style guides described it as
colloquial and less appropriate in formal writing.
[9][10] However, by 2020, most style guides accepted the singular
they as a
personal pronoun.
[11][12][13][14]
In the early 21st century, use of singular
they with known individuals emerged for people
who do not exclusively identify as male or female, as ias in, for example, "This is my friend,
Jay. I met
them at work."
[15]
