individually
Americanadverb
-
one at a time; separately.
The delegates were introduced individually.
-
personally.
Each of us is individually responsible.
-
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 court said that people who reached the territories by sea first had to be individually processed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
The observatory records hundreds of thousands of changing celestial events each night, making it impractical for researchers to examine every event individually for signs of a black hole.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
The Marmot Project, which has been running for more than 60 years, is the second-longest study of individually identified mammals in the world, after Jane Goodall's chimpanzee study in Tanzania.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
He worked individually during yesterday’s practice without a helmet or jersey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Children are not asked for opinions, feelings, or what they individually endure.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
