individual

[in-duh-vij-oo-uhl]

noun

1. a single human being, as distinguished from a group.

2. a person.

   A strange individual came around asking if we wanted to buy any lamps.

3. a distinct, indivisible entity; a single thing, being, instance, or item.

4. a group considered as a unit.

5. Biology.

   1. a single organism capable of independent existence.

   2. a member of a compound organism or colony.

6. Cards.,  a duplicate-bridge tournament in which each player plays the same number of hands in partnership with every other player, individual scores for each player being kept for each hand.

adjective

1. single; particular; separate.

   It's standard practice to number individual copies of a limited edition.

2. intended for the use of one person only.

   Servers handed out individual portions of a pizza to guests at the party.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of a particular person or thing.

   The decor was highly reflective of his individual tastes.

4. distinguished by special, singular, or markedly personal characteristics; exhibiting unique or unusual qualities.

   She was known for her highly individual style of painting.

5. existing as a distinct, indivisible entity, or considered as such; discrete.

   It can be difficult to replace individual parts of a tea set if one breaks.

6. belonging to a set or group of which each is different or of a different design from the others.

   For Christmas they got a set of individual coffee cups.

individual

/ ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjʊəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, characteristic of, or meant for a single person or thing

2. separate or distinct, esp from others of its kind; particular

   please mark the individual pages

3. characterized by unusual and striking qualities; distinctive

4. obsolete,  indivisible; inseparable

noun

1. a single person, esp when regarded as distinct from others

2. biology

   1. a single animal or plant, esp as distinct from a species

   2. a single member of a compound organism or colony

3. logic

   1. Also called: particular. an object as opposed to a property or class

   2. an element of the domain of discourse of a theory

Usage

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 Word Forms

• individually adverb
• interindividual adjective
• nonindividual adjective
• superindividual adjective
• superindividually adverb
• transindividual adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of individual¹

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; in- ³, divide, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of individual¹

C15: from Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduus indivisible, from _in- ¹ + dīviduus divisible, from dīvidere to _divide

Synonym Study

See person.

Example Sentences

Governments expanded their power over institutions and individuals.

From BBC

Thousands of soldiers are still missing in action in the area, and the discovery of items from individual regiments enabled them to narrow down who the individuals might be.

From BBC

A try out of nowhere gave Wakefield the final say as Scott weaved his way through a gap just inside the Leigh half and outpaced his chasers for a fine individual effort.

From BBC

Today's announcement by the Tottenham board is viewed by individuals close to the matter as largely a formality.

From BBC

It strips away the parts of each individual’s identity that make us different and collapses our complexity into a unidimensional, static version of who we are and could be.

From Salon

Related Words

• lone 
• original 
• particular 
• personal 
• respective 
• separate 
• single 
• singular 
• sole 
• special 
• specific