individually
Americanadverb
-
one at a time; separately.
The delegates were introduced individually.
-
personally.
Each of us is individually responsible.
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The cases are consolidated in federal court in Oakland, Calif., but will be tried individually.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said the $20 billion is likely due to Nvidia selling its CPUs on a rack level instead of individually.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
He committed to building like for like — each new house similar in size to the one it replaces — and to building them individually with high-quality materials and no ADUs.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
A government source told the BBC that at the meeting Sir Keir told colleagues he would not discuss the election results or his leadership, and would only speak to cabinet ministers about those topics "individually".
From BBC • May 12, 2026
She'd come to recognize them individually by the tiny handmade collars she'd helped Jason make for them.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
