Synonyms of individual

individual 1 of 2

noun

1

as in person

a member of the human race

every individual has value

Synonyms & Similar Words

• person
• man
• life
• guy
• creature
• human
• soul
• thing
• customer
• bird
• body
• being
• character
• sort
• fish
• personality
• specimen
• party
• human being
• baby
• egg
• duck
• scout
• face
• mortal
• cookie
• devil
• personage
• fellow
• bod
• son of man
• head
• wight
• stiff
• self
• slob
• somebody
• neighbor
• brother
• celebrity
• hominid
• humanoid
• homo
• fellowman

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• animal
• beast
• brute
• critter
• beastie

2

as in entity

one that has a real and independent existence

our general concept of what constitutes a chair is based on our experience with many individuals that were called chairs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• entity
• object
• substance
• reality
• thing
• something
• being
• individuality
• commodity
• body
• subject
• existent
• matter
• integer
• material
• quantity
• stuff

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nonentity

individual

2 of 2

adjective

ˌin-də-ˈvi-jə-wəl 

1

as in subjective

of, relating to, or belonging to a single person

everyone has his or her own individual opinion about the subject, but you will have to work together

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subjective
• personal
• personalized
• private
• individualized
• unique
• particular
• singular
• separate
• patented
• distinctive
• idiomatic
• specific
• characteristic
• peculiar
• privy
• identifying
• idiosyncratic
• intimate
• independent
• special
• specialized
• express
• custom
• customized
• especial
• nonconformist
• self-sufficient
• self-directed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• general
• public
• universal
• popular
• generic
• broad
• widespread
• shared
• normal
• prevalent
• common
• regular
• typical
• prevailing

2

as in separate

not the same or shared

guest rooms at the inn have individual bathrooms

Synonyms & Similar Words

• separate
• respective
• different
• various
• diverse
• disparate
• divergent
• distinctive
• dissimilar
• varied
• distinct
• distinguishable
• unalike

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• same
• identical
• very
• selfsame

3

as in characteristic

serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group

he's got a highly individual laugh that I would know anywhere

Synonyms & Similar Words

• characteristic
• distinct
• distinctive
• typical
• distinguishing
• identifying
• diagnostic
• peculiar
• symptomatic
• proper
• classic
• unmistakable
• discriminating
• specific
• general
• usual
• identifiable
• particular
• generic
• common
• idiosyncratic
• special
• normal
• regular
• pronounced
• model
• archetypal
• paradigmatic
• especial

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• atypical
• uncharacteristic
• untypical
• nontypical

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective individual differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of individual are especial, particular, special, and specific. While all these words mean "of or relating to one thing or class," individual implies unequivocal reference to one of a class or group.

valued each individual opinion

Where would especial be a reasonable alternative to individual?

The words especial and individual can be used in similar contexts, but especial may add implications of preeminence or preference.

a matter of especial importance

When would particular be a good substitute for individual?

The words particular and individual are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, particular stresses the distinctness of something as an individual.

a ballet step of particular difficulty

When is special a more appropriate choice than individual?

The synonyms special and individual are sometimes interchangeable, but special stresses having a quality, character, identity, or use of its own.

special ingredients

When could specific be used to replace individual?

While in some cases nearly identical to individual, specific implies a quality or character distinguishing a kind or a species.

children with specific nutritional needs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of individual

Noun

According to statistics cited in a recent federal appeals court ruling, more than 128,000 individuals had been conditionally approved for refugee status when the resettlement program was halted. —Dan Barry, New York Times, 12 May 2026

The consensus among experts is that second-home taxes influence marginal decisions but rarely determine whether wealthy individuals invest in global cities. —Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 12 May 2026

Adjective

Stribling and the rest of the draft picks did not participate in the seven-on-seven sessions that followed the individual drills; the undrafted rookies and tryout players manned those. —Matt Barrows, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Now, his individual struggles are magnified by the significantly stronger roster around him. —Gabrielle Starr, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2026