Meaning & use
individualistic person
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
Someone who tends to act, think, and decide independently rather than following what a group expects.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: an individualistic person, individualistic people.
Patterns
- an individualistic person
- a highly individualistic person
- be an individualistic person
She is an individualistic person who has never cared much about fitting in.
As an individualistic person, he prefers to work alone rather than in a large team.
Individualistic people often question rules that everyone else accepts without thinking.
phrasecountabletechnical
In psychology and sociology, a person whose values put personal goals and rights above group loyalty.
Grammar: Used in academic writing, often contrasted with 'a collectivist person'.
Patterns
- be described as an individualistic person
- individualistic rather than collectivist
In cross-cultural studies, an individualistic person is expected to value personal achievement over family duty.
The researchers classified each participant as either an individualistic person or a collectivist one.
Word forms
| plural | individualistic people / individualistic persons |
|---|
Common combinations
- highly individualistic
- He is a highly individualistic person who rarely asks for advice.
- fiercely individualistic
- The community is fiercely individualistic and distrusts outside authority.
- an individualistic streak
- There is an individualistic streak in her that shows up in her art.
- individualistic culture
- In an individualistic culture, moving away from your parents is seen as normal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- independent
- Focuses on not needing help from others; it does not necessarily suggest rejecting group values, which 'individualistic' does.
- self-reliant
- Emphasizes taking care of yourself; it says nothing about how much you care about the group.
- nonconformist
- Stronger and more judgmental: it means actively refusing to follow social norms, not just preferring your own path.
Opposites
Word family
- individualism noun
- The belief that personal independence matters more than group loyalty.
- individualist noun
- A person who holds that belief; less formal than the full phrase.
- individualistic adjective
- Describing a person, culture, or attitude of this kind.
- individuality noun
- The quality of being different from other people in an interesting way.
Commonly confused: individualistic person or individual? individualistic person or egotistical?
individualistic person vs individual
An 'individual' is simply one single person; it says nothing about independence. 'An individualistic person' is a personality description.
individualistic person vs egotistical
Egotistical means thinking only about yourself and your own importance. Individualistic is about independence, not selfishness.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'individualistic person' in the most natural way?
Choose one answer.
'An individualistic person' needs the article 'an' and describes someone who decides independently, so option 2 fits. Option 1 contradicts the meaning; option 3 drops the article; option 4 uses 'individual', which only means one single person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “individualistic person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.