individual

American  

[in-duh-vij-oo-uhl] / ˌɪn dəˈvɪdʒ u əl /

noun

• individuals
  plural

1. a single human being, as distinguished from a group.

2. a person.

   A strange individual came around asking if we wanted to buy any lamps.

3. a distinct, indivisible entity; a single thing, being, instance, or item.

4. a group considered as a unit.

5. Biology.

   1. a single organism capable of independent existence.

   2. a member of a compound organism or colony.

6. Cards. a duplicate-bridge tournament in which each player plays the same number of hands in partnership with every other player, individual scores for each player being kept for each hand.

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adjective

1. single; particular; separate.

   It's standard practice to number individual copies of a limited edition.

2. intended for the use of one person only.

   Servers handed out individual portions of a pizza to guests at the party.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of a particular person or thing.

   The decor was highly reflective of his individual tastes.

4. distinguished by special, singular, or markedly personal characteristics; exhibiting unique or unusual qualities.

   She was known for her highly individual style of painting.

5. existing as a distinct, indivisible entity, or considered as such; discrete.

   It can be difficult to replace individual parts of a tea set if one breaks.

6. belonging to a set or group of which each is different or of a different design from the others.

   For Christmas they got a set of individual coffee cups.

individual British  

/ ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjʊəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, characteristic of, or meant for a single person or thing

2. separate or distinct, esp from others of its kind; particular

   please mark the individual pages

3. characterized by unusual and striking qualities; distinctive

4. obsolete indivisible; inseparable

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noun

1. a single person, esp when regarded as distinct from others

2. biology

   1. a single animal or plant, esp as distinct from a species

   2. a single member of a compound organism or colony

3. logic

   1. Also called: particular. an object as opposed to a property or class

   2. an element of the domain of discourse of a theory

Usage

As a synonym for person, individual is standard, occurring in all varieties of speech and writing: Three individuals entered the room, each carrying a sheaf of papers. Some object to this use, insisting that individual can mean only “a single human being, as distinguished from a group”: An individual may have concerns that are ignored by their party.

Synonym Usage

See person.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interindividual
  adjective
• nonindividual
  adjective
• superindividual
  adjective
• transindividual
  adjective
• individually
  adverb
• superindividually
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• individuals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of individual

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin indīviduālis, equivalent to Latin indīviduus “indivisible” (from in- negative prefix + dīviduus “divided or divisible into two parts”) + -ālis adjective suffix; cf. in- ³, divide, -al ¹

Explanation

The word individual is all about being a single entity that cannot be divided. It can mean person or even personal. A team is made up of individuals, and each individual has individual strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes individual is a way of referring to a person, quasi-formally. You might elevate the phrase "This guy walks into my shop," by saying, "This individual walks into my shop." You might also hear this word when talking about things that are divided: foods designed for lunchboxes, such as potato chips or juice boxes, are often prepackaged into individual servings.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

individual individuals

Multiple outlets have reported that the individual killed was the driver of the bus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Seven justices own no individual stocks, and Chief Justice John Roberts holds only two.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

His government banned its use in federal executions but that did not bind individual states such as Tennessee, which can choose their own methods.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Mount Sinai researchers are also developing miBrains derived from individual patients, which could eventually allow scientists to investigate how neurodegenerative disease develops differently from person to person and how patients might respond to particular treatments.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

The styling and drying process was extremely complicated—Mari wrapped individual strands of hair around the handle of a comb and then used a hairdryer with a diffuser attachment on each individual curl.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Currently, about 94% of individuals use the BBC each month but only 80% of households pay for a TV licence, the MPs noted.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Allowing the contributions to the group trust could pave the way for future big-time stock donations by companies and individuals, according to IRS regulations released earlier this week.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

“Our investigation confirmed that these individuals mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures, violating our policies and breaking the trust essential to our work.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The court described the tragedy as caused by "individuals driven by greed, with utter disregard for human life".

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

In any case thousands of individuals remained, most of them constellated in urban areas where they could physically see one another, take heart at their mutual presence.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• lone
• original
• particular
• personal
• respective
• separate
• single
• singular
• sole
• special
• specific