Word family noun individual individuality adjective individual individualized verb individualize adverb individually
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishindividualin‧di‧vid‧u‧al1 /ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl◂/ ●●○ S3 W3 AWL adjective 1 [only before noun]DIFFERENT considered separately from other people or things in the same group Each individual leaf on the tree is different. the needs of the individual customer2 [only before noun]OWN belonging to or intended for one person rather than a group Children get more individual attention in small classes. You can have the bathroom designed to suit your individual needs. individual portions of jam3 DIFFERENTan individual style, way of doing things etc is different from anyone else’s – usually used to show approval SYN distinctive a tennis player with a highly individual style a very individual way of dressingExamples from the Corpus
individual• The children get far more individual attention in these small classes.• Imagine now that a customer of an individual bank applies successfully for an overdraft.• How such paradoxical objectives are handled will depend upon the individual counsellor.• How rugs are measured depends on the individual country.• After this review process, budget analysts consolidate the individual department budgets into operating and capital budget summaries.• Each individual employee was given a bonus.• But also at work are the varied purposes of the individual employees.• He has his own individual method of organizing his work.• In two of the studies the details of the individual patients are not reported.• Every baby has its own, individual personality.• an individual serving of mashed potatoes• a tennis player with a completely individual style• Individual tickets for Red Sox games go on sale this morning.• She dresses in a highly individual way.• The Roman script was phonetic and the book consisted of a series of dialogues, building up with phrases rather than individual words.Each individual• Beginning a martial art such as kungfu has many pitfalls. Each individual experiences his own problems.individual needs• Application clusters can be set up permanently to meet individual needs.• Instruction Instruction is informal and tailored to individual needs.• They are concerned with the problems of adapting designs to meet individual needs.• The individual needs a set of tactics and ideas and skills to accomplish the project.• For the moment we need to take account of individual needs coming into the picture.• Clearly, individual gains, in terms of meeting individual needs, have important collective consequences in a trade union.• The time we spend attending to these individual needs is bound to vary somewhat.• All instructions should be paced and adapted to the individual needs of each woman and her baby.individualindividual2 ●●○ S3 W3 AWL noun [countable] 1 INDEPENDENT PERSONa person, considered separately from the rest of the group or society that they live in the rights of the individual Each individual receives two genes, one inherited from each parent. Most churches were built with donations from private individuals (=ordinary people, rather than the government or companies).2 PERSON/PEOPLEa person of a particular kind, especially one who is unusual in some way a strange-looking individualCOLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2adjectivesan ordinary individualOrdinary individuals need no more than 3–5 grams of salt per day.a talented/gifted individualHe had taken a group of talented individuals and built a superb team.an outstanding individual (=with unusually good qualities)We need a few outstanding individuals to act as leaders.a private individual (=a person, not a company or business)Few shares in the company are owned by private individuals.a particular individualThe writer is addressing a general reader rather than a particular individual.a single individual (=one person on their own)Equipment of this kind is not something a single individual could afford.a wealthy individual (=a wealthy person)Large ranches are often owned by corporations or wealthy individuals.selected individuals (=ones who are specially chosen for something)Selected individuals were invited to the dinner.isolated individuals (=one on their own, not in a group with others)Society does not consist of isolated individuals.like-minded individuals (=people who share the same opinions)The message board is a forum where like-minded individuals can communicate.phrasestreat somebody as an individualEach student must be treated as an individual.a group of individualsWe need to perform as a team rather than a group of individuals.the needs of the individualThe fitness program is adapted to the needs of the individual.the rights of the individualThe rights of the individual must be protected.freedom of the individualWe live in a society which prizes the freedom of the individual.respect for the individualThe policies are based on respect for the individual.individuals vary (=everyone is different)Individuals vary in their ability to adapt to change. Examples from the Corpus
individual• Personality Personality can be broadly defined as the propensities within an individual to act a certain way, given a particular context.• Just as both individuals can lose, if proper timely action is taken, both can also win.• It is the responsibility of each individual within the class to make sure they have the correct books.• Effects of the drug vary from individual to individual.• Many individuals choose to walk away from a promising situation rather than restore a damaged relation-ship.• Even if the public had the necessary information, there was nothing any one individual could have done about fixing the system.• How familiar the class or individuals in the class, are with the microcomputer. 5.• Mandy's a real individual.• For Pateman, participatory democracy hinges on the premise that individuals and their institutions can not be placed apart.• The decision to have an operation should be up to the individual involved.private individuals• We will maintain support for the arts and continue to develop schemes for greater sponsorship in co-operation with business and private individuals.• It was too expensive for most private individuals there to send telegrams; the network was used almost exclusively by the authorities.• So the best way in for most private individuals is through insurance funds, investment trusts or unit trusts.• There were a disturbing number of private individuals who called in to say they hoped he would not be a candidate.• Why don't private individuals establish the missing market through a system of bribes or compensation?• But at the same time, bank lending to private individuals, and credit card use, has increased.• Clive's estimate was that the Company and various private individuals made £3m. out of the change of rulers.• They were private individuals or partnerships, paid by the state to provide a universal service free at the point of use.Origin individual1 (1400-1500) Medieval Latin individualis, from Latin individuus “undividable”, from dividere; → DIVIDE1 