individualistic
Americanadjective
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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.
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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.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of individualistic
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.
Vocabulary lists containing individualistic
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 approach to sentencing should be individualistic and focused on the child or young person, as opposed to offence-focused," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Soccer, Luna believes, represents an affront to the individualistic mindset that plagues today’s world because, by nature, it must happen in community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
The second value is voice, the term we use to describe the desire for authentic, individualistic self-expression—for instance, the freedom to be oneself without judgment from others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
It's the most individualistic of all Western nations.
From Salon ● May 26, 2025
One of the most individualistic, interesting, and yes, gloomy subcultures, Goth is a style—of music, dress, state of mind.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
