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.

---

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

The costs of the pots, racks and soil are nominal individually but add up fast at the scale he now operates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

But individually, they are extremely difficult to find.

From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026

Instead of attempting to identify and measure one galaxy at a time, astronomers detect the combined radio glow produced by hydrogen in large numbers of galaxies that cannot be individually resolved.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

The dog team individually lists each animal on the company website as an official "sniffer", alongside their photographs.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

They were individually very pushy, almost cocky or snappy birds, seemingly quick to anger and push others around, much as the behavior they would use to keep someone from messing with their nest.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• alone
• independently
• personally