individually

American  

[in-duh-vij-oo-uh-lee] / ˌɪn dəˈvɪdʒ u ə li /

adverb

1. one at a time; separately.

   The delegates were introduced individually.

2. personally.

   Each of us is individually responsible.

3. in an individual or personally unique manner.

   Her interpretation was individually conceived.

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Etymology

Origin of individually

First recorded in 1590–1600; individual + -ly

Explanation

Anything done individually happens one at a time, separate from others. In baseball, each player bats individually. An individual is a single person, or you can refer to an individual thing, which is one thing. Likewise, anything described as happening individually happens one by one or separately. An only child is raised individually. Doctors usually see patients individually, not in groups. If you're in a single-file line, you're lined up individually. Think of the number one when you see or hear the word individually.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

individually

Spending four formative years in a community where hundreds of services are collectively financed and individually consumed can shape assumptions about how institutions function and how resources should be allocated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

All three approaches had been tested individually before, but none had succeeded in permanently clearing the virus.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

He worked individually during yesterday’s practice without a helmet or jersey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

And finally, she categorized either by their weights in the PCE or by treating each category individually.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Rare events such as batting streaks that are the result of chance are not individually predictable, yet the pattern of their occurrence is probabilistically describable.

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

Related Words

• alone
• independently
• personally