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

Since central banks tend to be less sensitive to price swings than institutions or individual investors, steady hands in the market can increase an asset’s appeal.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 6, 2026

But individual agencies can choose to retain data for much longer.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

It suggests that the answer may depend not only on the immune system, but also on biological differences built into individual joints during development.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026

But it has been individual traders’ recent affection for prediction markets that is extending the crypto winter even as AI stocks wobble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Music, as a diverse human practice, is central to the constitution of cultural and individual identities.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

“But it’s hard to say top to bottom that the collection of individuals is not very special.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

"My understanding is, a number of individuals have travelled to the area, wearing black, wearing balaclavas, and have blocked a number of roads leading into the port area," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Eager individuals poured in trillions of South Korean won, or billions of dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

It added that an unspecified number of individuals aboard the boat had been "safely transferred" to authorities in Ecuador before the sinking, which came a day after a separate US strike.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

But for the individuals caught up in it—for Galileo, Hooke, Boyle and their colleagues—it represents a series of sudden, urgent transformations.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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