Individuality is the quality or character that makes a person distinct from others, especially in terms of personality, appearance, or behavior. It emphasizes uniqueness and personal expression, rather than conformity. The word also refers to the state or condition of being individual or separate from a set or group.
"Her individuality shone through in the way she arranged her desk and chose her wardrobe."
"The designer celebrated individuality by inviting people to express their own style."
"In a classroom, individuality can coexist with collaboration, as students bring their unique perspectives."
"The documentary explores individuality within a culture that highly values tradition."
Individuality derives from the word individual, itself from late Latin individuum “undivided,” from Latin in- “not” + dividere “to divide.” The suffix -ality marks a state or condition, forming a noun that denotes the quality or condition of being an individual. The root ‘individual’ entered English in the 15th century and originally carried the sense of a single, separable entity. By the 16th–17th centuries, individuality as a abstracted notion of personal distinctiveness emerged in philosophical and literary contexts, aligning with Renaissance humanist emphasis on the distinct person. Over time, the term broadened to discuss psychological traits, social roles, and cultural expressions of uniqueness, becoming common in both academic discourse and everyday speech. The word’s pronunciation settled into a three-syllable rhythm (in-di-vid-u-al-i-ty) with the tertiary stress pattern evolving in modern usage toward secondary-stress on -vid- in many dialects. First known written occurrences of “individuality” can be traced to English texts in the 17th century, with increasing usage in sociology and psychology by the 19th and 20th centuries as notions of selfhood gained prominence.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Individuality" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Individuality" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Individuality"
-ity sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˌɪn.dɪ.vɪˈdjuː.əl.ɪ.ti/ (US) or /ˌɪn.dɪˈvɪd.juː.əl.ɪ.ti/ (UK). Start with “in” (short /ɪ/), then “di” (with a schwa-like light /ɪ/), followed by “vid” with stress on the second syllable of “video” minus the o, then “ual” as /əl/, and end with “ity” /ɪti/.
Mistakes include stressing the wrong syllable (placing primary stress on -vid- or -al- incorrectly), and merging /djuː/ into /duː/ without the /j/ sound (you-ess). Also, learners may pronounce /ˈɪn.dɪ.vɪˌdjuː.ə.lɪ.ti/ with a heavy /juː/ or reduce /ɪ/ sounds too much. Correction: keep distinct /dj/ sequence after /vɪ/ and maintain the /juː/ glide before /ə/ and /l/.
US tends to reduce the -ali- cluster slightly and may place a stronger secondary stress near -vid-, UK often preserves a clearer /juː/ before /əl/; AU mirrors US but may be slightly flatter in vowel quality. The key is the /ˌɪn.dɪ.vɪˈdjuː.əl.ɪ.ti/ vs /ˌɪn.dɪˈvɪ.djʊ.əl.ɪ.ti/ in some UK usages. Practice listening to regional recordings to map subtle vowel durations and rhoticity.
The difficulty lies in sequencing a long, multi-syllabic word with the /dj/ or /dʒ/ transition after /vɪ/. The /juː/ glide and the unstressed but cluttered final -i.ty need precise timing to avoid running together. Also, maintaining correct primary stress on the -vid- syllable while preserving clear /ə/ in -u-al- and final /ti/ is challenging.
There are no silent letters in 'Individuality'; all letters contribute to the pronunciation. The challenge is not silences but the phoneme sequence: /ˌɪn.dɪ.vɪˈdjuː.əl.ɪ.ti/. The /j/ is a consonant sound in the /djuː/ cluster, and the final -ty contributes /ti/ rather than a silent ending.
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