English Meaning & Definitions
A single human being as distinct from a group, class, or family.
- “The rights of the individual are protected by the constitution.”
- “Every individual in the room was asked to sign the petition.”
Single; separate; existing as a distinct entity.
- “The teacher gave individual attention to each student in the class.”
- “The package contains several individual servings of cereal.”
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “individual”.
Derived from the Medieval Latin 'individuus', meaning 'indivisible'. It is composed of the prefix 'in-' (not) and 'dividuus' (divisible), from the verb 'dividere' (to divide). Originally used in scholastic philosophy to describe something that cannot be divided without losing its essence, it evolved in the 17th century to refer to a single human being.
In-di-vid-u-al: Think of an 'in-divisible' unit; you cannot divide a person into smaller parts and still have the same person.
Frequently Asked Questions About “individual”
1. What is the meaning of “individual” in English?
In English, individual (noun) is defined as: “A single human being as distinct from a group, class, or family.”.
2. How do you use “individual” in a sentence?
“The rights of the individual are protected by the constitution.”
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “individual”?
Derived from the Medieval Latin 'individuus', meaning 'indivisible'. It is composed of the prefix 'in-' (not) and 'dividuus' (divisible), from the verb 'dividere' (to divide). Originally used in scholastic philosophy to describe something that cannot be divided without losing its essence, it evolved in the 17th century to refer to a single human being.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.