individual

American  

[in-duh-vij-oo-uhl] / ˌɪn dəˈvɪdʒ u əl /

noun

individuals plural

1. a single human being, as distinguished from a group.

2. a person.

   A strange individual came around asking if we wanted to buy any lamps.

3. a distinct, indivisible entity; a single thing, being, instance, or item.

4. a group considered as a unit.

5. Biology.

   1. a single organism capable of independent existence.

   2. a member of a compound organism or colony.

6. Cards. a duplicate-bridge tournament in which each player plays the same number of hands in partnership with every other player, individual scores for each player being kept for each hand.

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adjective

1. single; particular; separate.

   It's standard practice to number individual copies of a limited edition.

2. intended for the use of one person only.

   Servers handed out individual portions of a pizza to guests at the party.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of a particular person or thing.

   The decor was highly reflective of his individual tastes.

4. distinguished by special, singular, or markedly personal characteristics; exhibiting unique or unusual qualities.

   She was known for her highly individual style of painting.

5. existing as a distinct, indivisible entity, or considered as such; discrete.

   It can be difficult to replace individual parts of a tea set if one breaks.

6. belonging to a set or group of which each is different or of a different design from the others.

   For Christmas they got a set of individual coffee cups.

individual British  

/ ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjʊəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, characteristic of, or meant for a single person or thing

2. separate or distinct, esp from others of its kind; particular

   please mark the individual pages

3. characterized by unusual and striking qualities; distinctive

4. obsolete indivisible; inseparable

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noun

1. a single person, esp when regarded as distinct from others

2. biology

   1. a single animal or plant, esp as distinct from a species

   2. a single member of a compound organism or colony

3. logic

   1. Also called: particular.  an object as opposed to a property or class

   2. an element of the domain of discourse of a theory

Usage

As a synonym for person, individual is standard, occurring in all varieties of speech and writing: Three individuals entered the room, each carrying a sheaf of papers. Some object to this use, insisting that individual can mean only “a single human being, as distinguished from a group”: An individual may have concerns that are ignored by their party.

Synonym Usage

See person.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interindividual
  adjective
• nonindividual
  adjective
• superindividual
  adjective
• transindividual
  adjective
• individually
  adverb
• superindividually
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• individuals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of individual

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin indīviduālis, equivalent to Latin indīviduus “indivisible” (from in- negative prefix + dīviduus “divided or divisible into two parts”) + -ālis adjective suffix; cf. in- ³, divide, -al ¹

Explanation

The word individual is all about being a single entity that cannot be divided. It can mean person or even personal. A team is made up of individuals, and each individual has individual strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes individual is a way of referring to a person, quasi-formally. You might elevate the phrase "This guy walks into my shop," by saying, "This individual walks into my shop." You might also hear this word when talking about things that are divided: foods designed for lunchboxes, such as potato chips or juice boxes, are often prepackaged into individual servings.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

individual individuals

"But whatever the reason, our results suggest that it is not driven by greater engagement in individual climate action."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

Some companies didn’t disclose dollar figures for each individual perk; reporters generally categorized these aggregate amounts in “other.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

DWP plans to replace about 45 miles of mainline, which deliver water to individual services across neighborhoods, this fiscal year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

The government said the new scheme will run throughout 2027 and is backed by £400m, but its announcement does not set out payments for individual operators.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

They resented the loss of individual rights and personal freedoms.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

“Unfortunately, our investigation has identified several individuals who apparently abused their position of trust for personal gain,” says Peter Luccarelli, a managing partner at Brightpoint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Daniel Rickman, who runs glazing business Structura, decided not to wait for individuals to ask for adjustments - but instead offer them to all staff.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

State officials continue to recommend that all individuals age 6 months and older stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The individuals on the committee, which now includes several pro-peptide members, are then free to take different positions from that of the FDA scientists.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

In any case thousands of individuals remained, most of them constellated in urban areas where they could physically see one another, take heart at their mutual presence.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• lone
• original
• particular
• personal
• respective
• separate
• single
• singular
• sole
• special
• specific