individualistic

American  

[in-duh-vij-oo-uh-lis-tik] / ˌɪn dəˌvɪdʒ u əˈlɪs tɪk /

adjective

1. prioritizing the pursuit of individual interests or rights rather than common or collective ones.

   In our culture we seem to be moving toward a predominantly individualistic mindset, where egoism is in and altruism is out.

2. showing great independence or individuality in thought or action.

   Never has the nation produced a more brilliantly argumentative, individualistic, or opinionated group of politicians than our founders.

3. Philosophy. of or relating to a belief that all actions are determined by, or for the benefit of, the individual, not society as a whole.

   The attempt to construct a new social order on the basis of individualistic doctrine was bound to fail, because the shared customs and practices that make up the common life of society are too valuable.

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Other Word Forms

• individualistically adverb
• nonindividualistic adjective
• overindividualistic adjective
• overindividualistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of individualistic

individualist ( def. ) + -ic

Explanation

A person who believes strongly that each of us should be just who we are has an individualistic outlook. If you don't like conformity, then you're individualistic too. Many people believe that our society tries to make us all the same — to like the same food and wear the same clothes. Folks who reject that idea are individualistic. They believe that the most radical thing you can do is be yourself, however different that self may happen to be. The U.S. was known as country of individualists for many years. It's where individualistic people came to invent themselves however they liked. Some say, though, that recently it's grown less individualistic, as people are more afraid to seem different or unique.

Example Sentences

We also live in the most individualistic society on record, with an obsession on personal growth and happiness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Beyond my own square radius, I have seen an art world that is far less individualistic than those in other major cities — one oriented toward collaboration and joining forces to make something more meaningful.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2025

Enrique saw it as the opportunity to exert complete control on how PSG played, with brilliant, but ultimately individualistic, Mbappe gone.

From BBC • May 30, 2025

It's the most individualistic of all Western nations.

From Salon • May 26, 2025

Mr. Dyer went into another long lecture about the different way of viewing the world from the perspective of a culture that thought more communally than the highly individualistic United States.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• self-absorbed
• selfish