individual

individual 的核心意思是“单独的一个”：可指单个人或单个事物，也可表示为一个人单独准备的；作名词时指一个独立的人或个体。

💡 记忆钩子

把 individual 想成一个不能再拆开的“独立单位”：形容词先表示“单独的、一个一个的”，如单独给一个人的服务；名词再把这个单位直接叫作“个人、个体”。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“单独的个人或事物”和“个人、个体”这条主线，再学习法律、统计等专门用法。
不要把 individual 只理解成“个人的”；它也常表示“单个的、分别的”，而且作名词时可以指一个具体个体。

📖 中文释义

adj

core 单独的；单个的

📖 强调一个人或一个事物被单独看待，而不是作为一群人或一批事物的一部分。

💡 常用模式是 individual + 可数名词，如 individual students 或 individual items。它强调“一个一个地看”，不一定表示这个对象很特别；表达“独特的”时要根据上下文判断。

The needs of individual students vary widely.

每个学生的需求差别很大。

The report examines each individual case.

这份报告逐一考察每个个案。
common 供个人使用的

📖 表示某项安排、服务或物品只针对一个人，而不是面向一群人共同使用。

💡 常用模式是 individual + 服务、计划或账户等名词，也常见于 individual plan 和 individual room。这里的重点是“一个人单独享有或使用”，不是“这个人的性格或身份”。

Each employee has an individual training plan.

每名员工都有一份个人培训计划。
rare 不可分割的

📖 在较专业的讨论中，指某个对象一旦分开就不再保持原来的身份，因而可看作一个不可拆分的单位。

💡 通常出现在哲学、理论或技术语境中，常与 object、unit 等词搭配。日常英语里不要用它替代普通的“单独的”；表达一般的“不能分开”时，其他词往往更自然。

more individual comparative most individual superlative

noun

core 个人；个体

📖 指单独的一个人，尤其强调这个人不是作为群体成员，而是作为独立单位被看待。

💡 常用模式是 an individual who...、individuals can... 或 a remarkable individual。这个词常比 person 正式，描述普通人时也可以使用；不要把它理解为必然“与众不同的人”。

She is a thoughtful individual who listens carefully.

她是一个善于思考、认真倾听的人。

The program gives individuals more control over their data.

这个项目让个人更能控制自己的数据。
common 法律上的个人

📖 在法律语境中，指一个自然人，和公司、机构等法人相对。

💡 常见于 individual versus corporation、individual rights 和 individual taxpayer 等结构。它通常出现在正式法律或政策文本中；日常对话里说 person 往往更自然。这里的 individual 不是形容某人有独特个性。

The law protects both companies and individuals.

这项法律同时保护公司和个人。
common 单个对象；个体

📖 在讨论类别时，指其中一个具体对象，而不是整个类别本身；这个对象可以是人、物或其他被单独识别的实体。

💡 常见于 individual members of a class、an individual object 等学术表达。它通常用于需要区分“类别”和“其中一个对象”的语境，日常场景中 person、thing 或 object 可能更直接。

The rule applies to every individual object in the collection.

这条规则适用于收藏品中的每一个单独对象。
rare 总体中的一个个体

📖 在统计学或科学研究中，指总体中的一个成员，研究者可以把它与其他成员分别记录和分析。

💡 常见于 population、sample 和 data 等专业搭配。这个用法属于统计或科学语境，不能简单理解为普通的“个人”；在非专业文本中通常会改用 person、member 或 subject。

individuals plural

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 5 组

a human being

同义词集: person individual someone somebody mortal soul

there was too much for one person to do

上位: being, causal agency, causal agent, cause, organism 下位: abomination, aboriginal, aborigine, achiever, acquaintance, active, actor, admirer, adult, adventurer, adversary, advocate, advocator, african, african-american, aggregator, agnostic, albino, allayer, amateur, ancient, anomaly, antagonist, anti, ape, aper, applicant, applied scientist, applier, appointee, appointment, aquarius, archer, aries, assimilator, attempter, authority, automaton, baby, baby boomer, baby buster, balance, baldhead, baldpate, baldy, battler, beard, beholder, belligerent, bereaved, bereaved person, best, birth, black, blogger, blond, blonde, bodybuilder, bomber, boomer, brunet, brunette, bull, buster, cancer, candidate, capitalist, capricorn, carrottop, case, cashier, caucasian, censor, chameleon, changer, child, chooser, closer, coddler, collector, combatant, comforter, common man, common person, commoner, communicator, compeer, compulsive, contemplative, contestant, contriver, controller, convert, copycat, counter, coward, crab, crawler, creator, creature, creditor, creeper, cripple, cross-dresser, dancer, dead person, dead soul, debitor, debtor, deceased, deceased person, decedent, denizen, departed, deviser, dieter, dissenter, dissident, divider, doer, double, doubter, dresser, drug user, dupe, dweller, eccentric, eccentric person, elizabethan, emulator, engineer, entertainer, equal, essayer, ethnic, expert, explorer, exponent, face, female, female person, fiduciary, fighter, fish, flake, fleer, follower, forerunner, friend, fugitive, gambler, gatekeeper, gatherer, gay, geek, gem, gemini, gentile, gipsy, goat, grownup, guinea pig, gypsy, habitant, hater, have, hebrew, heterosexual, heterosexual person, homo, homophile, homosexual, hope, image, imitator, immune, indigen, indigene, indweller, inexperienced person, inhabitant, innocent, insured, insured person, intellect, intellectual, interpreter, introvert, israelite, jew, jewel, jumper, junior, juvenile, juvenile person, killer, kink, latin, leader, learner, left-hander, lefty, leo, libra, life, linguist, lion, literate, literate person, liver, longer, look-alike, lover, machine, mailer, male, male person, man, manipulator, married, match, mediocrity, misfit, mixed-blood, modern, modifier, mollycoddler, mouse, mover and shaker, muscle builder, muscle-builder, musclebuilder, muscleman, namesake, national, native, negro, negroid, neighbor, neighbour, neutral, nonpartisan, nonpartizan, nude, nude person, objector, observer, oddball, opener, opponent, opposer, optimist, orphan, ostrich, owner, pamperer, partner, party, passer, peer, perceiver, percipient, personification, perspirer, philosopher, picker, pisces, planner, player, polyglot, possessor, precursor, primitive, primitive person, proponent, prospect, protester, quarter, quester, radical, ram, realist, recoverer, red-header, redhead, redheader, relation, relative, reliever, repeater, rescuer, resister, restrainer, rich person, right hander, right-hander, righthander, riser, ruler, runaway, rusher, sagittarius, saver, scholar, scientist, scorpio, scorpion, scourge, scrapper, searcher, second-rater, seeker, selector, self, shaker, showman, signatory, signer, simple, simpleton, six-footer, skidder, skin, skinhead, slave, slayer, slider, slipper, social dancer, sort, southpaw, sphinx, spoiler, sport, straight, straight person, stranger, subject, substance abuser, succeeder, success, survivor, suspect, swayer, sweater, taurus, technologist, terror, thirster, threat, thrower, tiger, topper, transexual, transfer, transferee, transgendered, transsexual, transvestite, traveler, traveller, trier, turner, twin, tyrant, undoer, unfastener, unfortunate, unfortunate person, untier, unusual person, user, venturer, victim, victorian, virgin, virgo, visionary, waiter, walk-in, ward, warrior, watcher, water bearer, wealthy person, weasel, white, white person, wight, winner, witness, worker, yearner, zombi, zombie

being or characteristic of a single thing or person; ;

同义词集: individual single

individual drops of rain

please mark the individual pages

they went their individual ways

反义: common 近似: idiosyncratic, individualist, individualistic, man-to-man, one-on-one, singular 参见: separate

separate and distinct from others of the same kind;

同义词集: individual case-by-case item-by-item

mark the individual pages

on a case-by-case basis

近似: independent

characteristic of or meant for a single person or thing; ;

同义词集: individual single(a)

an individual serving

single occupancy

a single bed

a single organism

同义词集: individual

上位: being, organism 下位: head

🌳 词源

源自拉丁语，原意与“不可分割的东西”有关，后来发展出“单独的个体”这一核心概念。

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”). Displaced native Old English hād (“person, individual”).

🔄 变式

individuals plural more individual compar most individual superl

🏷 单词标签 & 词根