Individual Meaning
/ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA person considered alone, rather than as belonging to a group of people.
nounA single physical human being as a legal subject, as opposed to a legal person such as a corporation.
Sentence Examples
Each individual paid 7000 dollars.
Each individual paid 1,000 dollars.
We interviewed each individual member of the community.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Because the teacher wanted to assess each person separately, each ____ was given a unique test.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Each ____ student in the class is responsible for completing their own unique science project.
Word Origin & History
PIE word *dwóh₁ From Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduum (“an indivisible thing”), neuter of indīviduus (“indivisible, undivided”), from in + dīviduus (“divisible”), from dīvidō (“divide”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“You have to be an individual,” said Ms. Smoke, a 40-year-old saleswoman, as she sipped her beverage. “You can’t just get black coffee.”"
— 2024 September 16, Priya Krishna, “The Customized Drink Is Out of Control”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Sep 2024:
"Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination […]."
— 1982, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:
"It is typically held that chairs, trees, rocks, people and many of the so-called ‘everyday’ objects we encounter can be regarded as individuals."
— 2006, Steven French, “Identity and Individuality in Quantum Theory”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
"In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual."
— 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
"Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend."
— 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Because the teacher wanted to assess each person separately, each ____ was given a unique test.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Each ____ student in the class is responsible for completing their own unique science project.