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

Several other states are suing Meta individually, including Tennessee, where a trial began jury selection this week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

All of items, sold individually, were snatched up by Wednesday within 24 hours of sales starting: water bottle caps, ring pop candy, police caution tape, straws, utensils -- as well as a single left AirPod.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

However, the companies have individually shot down MNVOs with Starlink.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Then she coached us, individually, as we took aim at our targets in sets of three.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Once a messenger on a bicycle came teetering up the jungle path bringing us twelve vials of antivenin, individually wrapped in tissue inside a woman’s jewelry box—an astounding treasure whose history we couldn’t guess.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• alone
• independently
• personally