individuality

American  

[in-duh-vij-oo-al-i-tee] / ˌɪn dəˌvɪdʒ uˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

• individualities
  plural

1. the particular character, or aggregate of qualities, that distinguishes one person or thing from others; sole and personal nature.

   a person of marked individuality.

2. individualities, individual characteristics.

3. a person or thing of individual or distinctive character.

4. state or quality of being individual; existence as a distinct individual.

5. the interests of the individual as distinguished from the interests of the community.

6. Archaic. state or quality of being indivisible or inseparable.

---

individuality British  

/ ˌɪndɪˌvɪdjʊˈælɪtɪ /

noun

1. distinctive or unique character or personality

   a work of great individuality

2. the qualities that distinguish one person or thing from another; identity

3. the state or quality of being a separate entity; discreteness

---

Synonym Usage

See character.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonindividuality
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• individualities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of individuality

First recorded in 1605–15; individual + -ity

Explanation

Whether it’s eating breakfast for lunch, learning Celtic step dancing, building birdhouses from popsicle sticks, showing off your shark tattoo, or speaking with an Australian accent on Tuesdays, all of these things can express your individuality, meaning what makes you unique. Use the noun individuality to refer to the sum total of characteristics that make up a particular individual. Individuality consists of the good, the bad — and even the crazy — that make a person distinct. The word can be describe the state or value of being unique, like the members of a group whose individuality makes for lively discussions, or a having your car painted a special color — neon green, perhaps? — to express the owner's individuality.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

individuality individualities

The words are filtered through each reader’s own individuality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

“Wendi has the unique ability to bring nostalgia, whimsy and individuality all together into maximalist style,” she says in an email.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Vickery added: "This is precisely why Brazil are so dangerous. How many teams can play that badly and still be in the game? It's the individuality."

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

Phrenologists divided the brain into 37 regions, each corresponding to a trait: combativeness, cautiousness, benevolence, individuality and so on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

I speculated with a kind of wonder on the strength of the individuality of journeys and stopped on the postulate that people don't take trips—trips take people.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

The actors, while adopting the English accents of their characters, bring their own individualities to the roles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025

Language can create a mood and atmosphere for your readers, helping communicate cultural and linguistic individualities.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

It was as if our education, instead of enhancing our individualities and imaginations, had reduced them to sameness.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 4, 2021

Hire and commission Asian and Asian American singers, instrumentalists, conductors and composers to break stereotypes and amplify our individualities and complexities.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2021

Pauline had glimpses of not a few more individualities, that evening, before she at length took her leave.

From The Adventures of a Widow A Novel by Edgar Fawcett

Related Words

• distinctiveness
• eccentricity
• humor
• identity
• idiosyncrasy
• individualism
• oneness
• originality
• temperament
• uniqueness
• unity