in·di·vid·u·al
ˌin-də-ˈvi-jə-wəl 
-ˈvij-wəl,
-ˈvi-jəl,
-ˈvi-jü-əl
1
a
: of, relating to, or distinctively associated with an individual
an individual effort
b
: intended for one person
an individual serving
c
: being an individual or existing as an indivisible whole
2
: having marked individuality
an individual style
3
: existing as a distinct entity : separate
4
obsolete
: inseparable
individually
adverb
1
a
: a particular being or thing as distinguished from a class, species, or collection: such as
(1)
: a single human being as contrasted with a social group or institution
a teacher who works with individuals
(2)
: a single organism as distinguished from a group
b
: a particular person
are you the individual I spoke with on the telephone?
2
: an indivisible entity
3
: the reference of a name or variable of the lowest logical type in a calculus
Synonyms
Examples of individual in a Sentence
Adjective
What are the individual traits of the breed?
The doctor carefully evaluates the individual needs of her patients.
Students will receive as much individual attention as possible.
She has a very individual style of writing.
a pattern as individual as a fingerprint
Noun
They promote a philosophy that sacrifices the rights of the individual for the public welfare.
They are both rather odd individuals.
Are you the individual I spoke with on the telephone?
She's a very talented individual.
The markings on tigers are unique to each individual.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 26 Nov. 2023
Couples who are trying to recover from infidelity will sometimes offer to surrender their individual privacy for a time to get back on track.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2023
Plus, individual products represent a sampling of editor favorites, including the Vogue Verified C E Ferulic that is widely viewed as the gold standard of vitamin C serums.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2023
With Payton Godsey of Oaks Christian ill, Chiara Dailey adjusts strategy and rolls to easy individual victory
Facebook
Show more sharing options
FRESNO —
Chiara Dailey had one goal — win a state cross country championship.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2023
Etsy is a great marketplace filled with individual sellers.
—Medea Giordano, WIRED, 25 Nov. 2023
This ambiguity has led to a fractured and absurd enforcement, whereby individual police departments and prosecutors make judgment calls on how to classify discrete incidents.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2023
To maximize the lifespan of your hoodie, plan to spot treat individual stains.
—Marissa Miller, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2023
Johnson argued that the plan would allow for the House to pass the rest of the individual spending bills and avoid a massive spending bill near Christmas.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 14 Nov. 2023
Greg Wehner, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2023
As to their argument that more tax cuts should go to low-income individuals: refundable tax credits to people who don’t pay income tax is welfare, not a tax cut.
—WSJ, 26 Nov. 2023
If the results are positive, the company would then put the individual in contact with a physician.
—Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2023
Footwear would have allowed individuals to move across new, unfamiliar terrain, protecting their feet from damage.
—Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 23 Nov. 2023
Of course, not every individual needs a turkey, so the number of households might be more helpful.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 23 Nov. 2023
Ortega’s exit had required the creative team to make some alterations, according to individuals with knowledge, but there were still hopes that the actress might be convinced to come back for some sort of cameo.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Changing the way individuals and society think about issues is typically a slow process, Michael Polenberg, vice president of Government Affairs at Safe Horizon, the largest victim services nonprofit organization in the U.S., told me.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023
In many cases, informed consent is obtained for neither the image uploaded nor the results that the technology returns, which can include the biometric data of private individuals.
—Deidre Olsen, WIRED, 15 Nov. 2023
See More
Adjective
Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 26 Nov. 2023
Couples who are trying to recover from infidelity will sometimes offer to surrender their individual privacy for a time to get back on track.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2023
Plus, individual products represent a sampling of editor favorites, including the Vogue Verified C E Ferulic that is widely viewed as the gold standard of vitamin C serums.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2023
With Payton Godsey of Oaks Christian ill, Chiara Dailey adjusts strategy and rolls to easy individual victory
Facebook
Show more sharing options
FRESNO —
Chiara Dailey had one goal — win a state cross country championship.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2023
Etsy is a great marketplace filled with individual sellers.
—Medea Giordano, WIRED, 25 Nov. 2023
This ambiguity has led to a fractured and absurd enforcement, whereby individual police departments and prosecutors make judgment calls on how to classify discrete incidents.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2023
To maximize the lifespan of your hoodie, plan to spot treat individual stains.
—Marissa Miller, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2023
Johnson argued that the plan would allow for the House to pass the rest of the individual spending bills and avoid a massive spending bill near Christmas.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 14 Nov. 2023
Noun
The sheriff’s office said all four individuals – two men and two women – sustained apparent gunshot wounds.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2023
As to their argument that more tax cuts should go to low-income individuals: refundable tax credits to people who don’t pay income tax is welfare, not a tax cut.
—WSJ, 26 Nov. 2023
If the results are positive, the company would then put the individual in contact with a physician.
—Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2023
Footwear would have allowed individuals to move across new, unfamiliar terrain, protecting their feet from damage.
—Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 23 Nov. 2023
Of course, not every individual needs a turkey, so the number of households might be more helpful.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 23 Nov. 2023
Ortega’s exit had required the creative team to make some alterations, according to individuals with knowledge, but there were still hopes that the actress might be convinced to come back for some sort of cameo.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Changing the way individuals and society think about issues is typically a slow process, Michael Polenberg, vice president of Government Affairs at Safe Horizon, the largest victim services nonprofit organization in the U.S., told me.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023
In many cases, informed consent is obtained for neither the image uploaded nor the results that the technology returns, which can include the biometric data of private individuals.
—Deidre Olsen, WIRED, 15 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'individual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Medieval Latin individualis, from Latin individuus indivisible, from in- + dividuus divided, from dividere to divide
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of individual was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing individual
Articles Related to individual
Dictionary Entries Near individual
Cite this Entry
“Individual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/individual. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
individual
1 of 2 adjective
in·di·vid·u·al
ˌin-də-ˈvij-(ə-)wəl
-ˈvij-əl
1
: of or relating to an individual
individual traits
2
: intended for one person
individual servings
3
: particular entry 1 sense 1, separate
individual copies
4
: having a special quality : distinct
an individual style
individually
adverb
-ē
individual
2 of 2 noun1
: a single member of a class, species, or collection
2
: a single human being
More from Merriam-Webster on individual
Nglish: Translation of individual for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of individual for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about individual
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share