Nearby Words
noun
1.
a single human being, as distinguished from a group.
2.
a person: a strange individual.
3.
a distinct, indivisible entity; a single thing, being, instance, or item.
4.
a group considered as a unit.
5.
EXPANDBiology.
a.
a single organism capable of independent existence.
b.
a member of a compound organism or colony.
adjective
7.
single; particular; separate: to number individual copies of a limited edition.
8.
intended for the use of one person only: to serve individual portions of a pizza.
9.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a particular person or thing: individual tastes.
10.
distinguished by special, singular, or markedly personal characteristics; exhibiting unique or unusual qualities: a highly individual style of painting.
11.
EXPANDexisting as a distinct, indivisible entity, or considered as such; discrete: individual parts of a tea set.
12.
COLLAPSEof which each is different or of a different design from the others: a set of individual coffee cups.
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Individual
is always a great word to know.
So is typical. Does it mean:
| the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations |
| exemplifying most nearly the essential characteristics of a higher group in natural history, and forming the type |
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin indīviduālis, equivalent to Latin indīvidu(us) indivisible (in- in-3 + dīvid(ere) to divide + -uus deverbal adj. suffix) + -ālis -al1
1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin indīviduālis, equivalent to Latin indīvidu(us) indivisible (in- in-3 + dīvid(ere) to divide + -uus deverbal adj. suffix) + -ālis -al1
Related forms
in·ter·in·di·vid·u·al, adjective
non·in·di·vid·u·al, adjective
su·per·in·di·vid·u·al, adjective, noun
su·per·in·di·vid·u·al·ly, adverb
trans·in·di·vid·u·al, adjective
Can be confused: individual, party, people, person (see usage note at party; see usage note at people; see synonym note at person).
Usage note
1, 2. 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 his or her party.
1, 2. 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 his or her party.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To INDIVIDUAL
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
individual
"a single object or thing," c.1600, from M.L. individualis, from L. individuus "indivisible," from in- "not" + dividuus "divisible," from dividere "divide." Colloquial sense of "person" is attested from 1742. As an adj., used from early 15c. meaning "one and indivisible" (with ref. to the Trinity). Sense
EXPANDof "single, separate" is 1610s; meaning "intended for one person" is from 1889.
COLLAPSE
"A majority can never replace the individual. ... Just as a hundred fools do not make one wise man, a heroic decision is not likely to come from a hundred cowards." [Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," 1933]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Word Dynamo Rating For Individual
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