Etymology
Borrowed from French individualisme. By surface analysis, individual (from Medieval Latin indÄ«viduÄlis, from Latin indÄ«viduum (“an indivisible thingâ€), neuter of indÄ«viduus (“indivisible, undividedâ€), from in + dÄ«viduus (“divisibleâ€), from dÄ«vidÅ (“divideâ€)) + -ism.
Noun
individualism (countable and uncountable, plural individualisms)
- The tendency for a person to act without reference to others, particularly in matters of style, fashion, or mode of thought.
- The moral stance, political philosophy, or social outlook that promotes independence and self-reliance of individual people, while opposing the interference with each person's choices by society, the state, or any other group or institution.
- (logic) The doctrine that only individual things are real.
- (philosophy) The doctrine that nothing exists but the individual self.
Derived terms
- anarcho-individualism
- rugged individualism
Credits
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