individuality

American  

[in-duh-vij-oo-al-i-tee] / ˌɪn dəˌvɪdʒ uˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

• individualities
  plural

1. the particular character, or aggregate of qualities, that distinguishes one person or thing from others; sole and personal nature.

   a person of marked individuality.

2. individualities, individual characteristics.

3. a person or thing of individual or distinctive character.

4. state or quality of being individual; existence as a distinct individual.

5. the interests of the individual as distinguished from the interests of the community.

6. Archaic. state or quality of being indivisible or inseparable.

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individuality British  

/ ˌɪndɪˌvɪdjʊˈælɪtɪ /

noun

1. distinctive or unique character or personality

   a work of great individuality

2. the qualities that distinguish one person or thing from another; identity

3. the state or quality of being a separate entity; discreteness

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Synonym Usage

See character.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonindividuality
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• individualities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of individuality

First recorded in 1605–15; individual + -ity

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Explanation

Whether it’s eating breakfast for lunch, learning Celtic step dancing, building birdhouses from popsicle sticks, showing off your shark tattoo, or speaking with an Australian accent on Tuesdays, all of these things can express your individuality, meaning what makes you unique. Use the noun individuality to refer to the sum total of characteristics that make up a particular individual. Individuality consists of the good, the bad — and even the crazy — that make a person distinct. The word can be describe the state or value of being unique, like the members of a group whose individuality makes for lively discussions, or a having your car painted a special color — neon green, perhaps? — to express the owner's individuality.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

individuality individualities

Their subject matter, composition and paint handling revealed an utterly original visual sensibility, an almost obsessively focused individuality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Every office is different, but getting dressed is about individuality, or it should be.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

His collections were worshipped for their emphasis on individuality.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

This immersive show moves through seven years of portraits through Oyer’s lens, capturing subjects’ raw individuality.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

If anything, a number in these contexts enhances individuality; no two people have the same credit-card number, for example, whereas many have similar names or personality traits or socioeconomic profiles.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

The actors, while adopting the English accents of their characters, bring their own individualities to the roles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025

Language can create a mood and atmosphere for your readers, helping communicate cultural and linguistic individualities.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

It was as if our education, instead of enhancing our individualities and imaginations, had reduced them to sameness.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 4, 2021

Hire and commission Asian and Asian American singers, instrumentalists, conductors and composers to break stereotypes and amplify our individualities and complexities.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2021

They are among the most capricious of natural phenomena, so full of individualities and vagaries.

From Meteorology or Weather Explained by J. G. M'Pherson

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Related Words

• distinctiveness
• eccentricity
• humor
• identity
• idiosyncrasy
• individualism
• oneness
• originality
• temperament
• uniqueness
• unity

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