Individualism

Quick meaning: Individualism is a noun meaning The tendency for a person to act without reference to others, particularly in matters of style, fashion or mode of thought.

Meaning

The tendency for a person to act without reference to others, particularly in matters of style, fashion or mode of thought.

More Meanings

1. (logic) The doctrine that only individual things are real.
2. (philosophy) The doctrine that nothing exists but the individual self.
3. 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.

Example Sentences

He believes that self-improvement and its growing popularity are symptoms of what he calls individualism.

Republicans and Democrats interpret individualism differently, and those divides are more pronounced than ever in our deeply polarized political climate.

[A]nd that one great and all-important occasion and provocative of these beliefs was actually the rise of self-consciousness — that is, the coming of the mind to a more or less distinct awareness of itself and of its own operation, and the consequent development and growth of Individualism, and of the Self-centred attitude in human thought and action.

Word Forms

• individualisms

Synonyms for individualism

Depending on context, synonyms include solipsism, individuality.

Antonyms for individualism

Common opposites include collectivism, statism, commonality, commonness.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include individuality, egoism, individual, odd, collectivism, self-reliance.

Related Dictionary Tools