individual

1 of 2

adjective

in·​di·​vid·​u·​al ˌin-də-ˈvi-jə-wəl How to pronounce individual (audio)
-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

individual

2 of 2

noun

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
Choose the Right Synonym for individual

special, especial, specific, particular, individual mean of or relating to one thing or class.

special stresses having a quality, character, identity, or use of its own.

special ingredients

especial may add implications of preeminence or preference.

a matter of especial importance

specific implies a quality or character distinguishing a kind or a species.

children with specific nutritional needs

particular stresses the distinctness of something as an individual.

a ballet step of particular difficulty

individual implies unequivocal reference to one of a class or group.

valued each individual opinion

characteristic, individual, peculiar, distinctive mean indicating a special quality or identity.

characteristic applies to something that distinguishes or identifies a person or thing or class.

responded with her characteristic wit

individual stresses qualities that distinguish one from all other members of the same kind or class.

a highly individual writing style

peculiar applies to qualities possessed only by a particular individual or class or kind and stresses rarity or uniqueness.

an eccentricity that is peculiar to the British

distinctive indicates qualities distinguishing and uncommon and often superior or praiseworthy.

a distinctive aura of grace and elegance

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
That rule prohibits individual pieces of legislation or ballot initiatives from addressing more than one issue or unrelated issues in a single law. Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Of course, The Color Purple movie musical cleaned up with a staggering 12 wins, including outstanding motion picture, outstanding soundtrack/compilation album and four individual acting awards. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024 If that coordination fails the city will die, but if an individual thing fails then of course the city can repair it. Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024 The attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana argued that the federal government went too far by coercing social media companies to suppress speech of individual users and by becoming deeply involved in the companies’ decisions to remove certain content. Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 My overwhelming impression was of stuff, everywhere, any individual mystique diluted by the sheer exhausting quantity of it all. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Experts stress that the ideal running shoe for any individual person is unique to solely that person, their medical information and their feet. Mason Leib, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024 The wallet has three individual card slots, a cash pocket, and a transparent inner window to display your ID. Becca Blond, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2024 The individual success of Pyxis Ocean is encouraging news, but that’s just one of the 110,000-or-so merchant ships in the world. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
Maury has spent her career discovering and evaluating luxe and exotic destinations for ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2024 The search for the individuals responsible is ongoing, according to the agency. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Some said the individuals could not show a direct link between the government’s pressure on the platforms and the tech companies’ removal of posts that the government deemed problematic. Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 James Bean, the owner of Craft Cannabis, is asking for help in identifying the individual caught on camera during the March 15 incident. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2024 For individuals younger than 55, rates have been increasing by 1% to 2% a year since the mid-1990s. Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Even with publicly available training data, AI systems are simply too massive and computationally demanding for most nonprofits and universities, let alone individuals, to download and run. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2024 The induction is bestowed on individuals who are viewed as pioneers in their respective fields and whose influence shaped their profession. Jonathan Landrum Jr., USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 The lengthy selection process starts with two-thirds approval of both the Senate and House of Representatives, who must agree that an individual or institution made a long-term impact on America's history and culture. Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024

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

Dictionary Entries Near individual

Cite this Entry

“Individual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/individual. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

individual

1 of 2 adjective
in·​di·​vid·​u·​al ˌin-də-ˈvij-(ə-)wəl How to pronounce individual (audio)
-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

individual

2 of 2 noun
1
: a single member of a class, species, or collection
2
: a single human being

More from Merriam-Webster on individual

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