# individual

Pronunciation: say "in-di-VIJ-oo-uhl" US /ˌɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒ(u)əl/, UK /ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/

## Noun

1. A single person considered on their own, rather than as part of a group or as an organization such as a company.
   - Simple: One person on their own, not a group or a company.
   - _The survey asked each individual about their daily habits._
   - _Society is made up of individuals with different needs and goals._
3. Any single member that belongs to a population.
   - Simple: One member of a larger group that is being studied or counted.
   - _The sample included one hundred individuals drawn from the wider population._
   - _Each individual in the dataset was recorded with a unique identifier._

## Adjective

2. Relating to, belonging to, or meant for one person or thing considered separately rather than a group.
   - Simple: About or for one person or thing on its own, not a group.
   - _The report breaks down spending by individual department._
   - _Teachers track the progress of each individual learner._
4. Strikingly unusual, with a character or style that is clearly its own.
   - Simple: Different from others in an interesting way, with a special style of its own.
   - _The chef's cooking is highly individual, blending flavors few others would think to combine._
   - _His handwriting is so individual that friends recognize his letters at a glance._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A single object (whether a thing or an agent) considered separately from the class it belongs to.
- (adjective) Unable to be divided into parts without losing its essential identity.

## Origin

Latin dīvidō ("divide") gave dīviduus ("divisible"), and adding in- produced indīviduus ("indivisible, undivided"). Its neuter form indīviduum ("an indivisible thing") is the basis of Medieval Latin indīviduālis, the source of the word.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/individual (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).