English Dictionary

INDIVIDUALISM

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IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does individualism mean? 

INDIVIDUALISM (noun)
  The noun INDIVIDUALISM has 3 senses:

1. the quality of being individualplay

2. a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independenceplay

3. the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairsplay

  Familiarity information: INDIVIDUALISM used as a noun is uncommon.


 Dictionary entry details 


INDIVIDUALISM (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

The quality of being individual

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

individualism; individuality; individuation

Context example:

so absorbed by the movement that she lost all sense of individuality

Hypernyms ("individualism" is a kind of...):

trait (a distinguishing feature of your personal nature)

Attribute:

individual; single (being or characteristic of a single thing or person)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "individualism"):

singularity; uniqueness (the quality of being one of a kind)

distinctiveness; peculiarity; speciality; specialness; specialty (a distinguishing trait)

Derivation:

individualist (a person who pursues independent thought or action)

individualistic (marked by or expressing individuality)


Sense 2

Meaning:

A belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("individualism" is a kind of...):

belief (any cognitive content held as true)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "individualism"):

rugged individualism (individualism in social and economic affairs; belief not only in personal liberty and self-reliance but also in free competition)

Derivation:

individualist (a person who pursues independent thought or action)


Sense 3

Meaning:

The doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

individualism; laissez faire

Hypernyms ("individualism" is a kind of...):

doctrine; ism; philosophical system; philosophy; school of thought (a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school)

Derivation:

individualistic (with minimally restricted freedom in commerce)


 Context examples 


As I said, I am an individualist, and individualism is the hereditary and eternal foe of socialism.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

He did it that night, and he did it well; and since Martin had made the biggest stir, he put it all into his mouth and made him the arch-anarch of the show, transforming his reactionary individualism into the most lurid, red-shirt socialist utterance.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"Kill two birds with one stone." (English proverb)

"Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view and demand that they respect yours." (Native American proverbs and quotes, Chief Tecumseh)

"Too much modesty brings shame." (Arabic proverb)

"Dress up a stick and itÂ’ll be a beautiful bride." (Egyptian proverb)



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