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

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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

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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

Matthews was famous the world over, lauded by fellow stars for his creativity and ingenuity at a time where greatness did not boil down to individual stats.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

Scoring was overhauled—teams competed to win individual innings, and the team that won the most innings won the game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The furore in China came a day after Mbappe lost out to Harry Kane for the Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual award in football.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

High energy prices and fading consumer sentiment are sapping the appetite of individual traders, while the spike in U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

By developing their skills, socializing with influencers, and pursuing risks that encouraged sensational press promotion, Leah, Maggie, and Kate claimed power for themselves in a particularly individual, American way.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

“Many individuals assume that text messages are merely casual conversations,” says Halpern & Scrom, a New York-based law firm.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

"Being compared to individuals who murder others, or who have brought misery to millions upon millions of people -- well, I don't think I've ever done anything like that in my life," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

For even the smallest transgressions between two individuals, it’s antagonistic and fails to provide a productive resolution.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

Residents and businesses say the approach allows individuals to, in effect, evade removal by telegraphing that if they relocate across the street on the sixth day then the seven-day clock will restart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

In a victory for the civil rights movement, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that states cannot use trespass laws against individuals protesting state-mandated segregation policies.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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Related Words

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

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