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individual

[ in-duh-vij-oo-uhl ]
/ ˌɪn dəˈvɪdʒ u əl /
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See synonyms for: individual / individuals on Thesaurus.com

noun
adjective
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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, -al1

synonym study for individual

2. See person.

usage note for individual

1, 2. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM individual

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH individual

individual , person (see usage note at the current entry)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use individual in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for individual

individual
/ (ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjʊəl) /

adjective
of, relating to, characteristic of, or meant for a single person or thing
separate or distinct, esp from others of its kind; particularplease mark the individual pages
characterized by unusual and striking qualities; distinctive
obsolete indivisible; inseparable
noun

Derived forms of individual

individually, adverb

Word Origin for individual

C15: from Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduus indivisible, from in- 1 + dīviduus divisible, from dīvidere to divide
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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