noun

• 1The habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant.

  ‘a culture that celebrates individualism and wealth’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The common thread that binds Americans stems from their individualism, self-reliance, independence, courage to take risks and readiness to challenge the impossible.’
  • ‘And Scandinavians are almost 100% Protestant too - which fits with a spirit of independence and individualism.’
  • ‘Self-reliance and individualism can be made meaningful for all only by first reviving the power of collective action.’
  • ‘She considers her independence and individualism to be both positive and negative.’
  • ‘This, he felt, helped foster the importance placed on rugged individualism and independence that still imbues many discussions of southern values.’
  • ‘German history in the Middle Ages was strongly influenced by two opposing principles: universalism and individualism.’
  • ‘The virtues of individualism and self-reliance seemed compromised in a world of corporate power and urban throngs.’
  • ‘The program teaches individualism, leadership, and self-confidence.’
  • ‘He will likely go from strength to strength as an independent MSP in a parliament where individualism is seen as a political virtue.’
  • ‘What does a country built on headstrong individualism and the myth of self-reliance do with its people convinced that they know best?’
  • ‘All the normal yakyak about individualism and personal responsibility was on display.’
  • ‘Very little individualism and original thought.’
  • ‘Authoritative parents respect children's individualism while insisting they meet reasonable requirements.’
  • ‘It attacks those who emphasise individualism and individual rights.’
  • ‘Slim fits, cropped styles, kimono prints or cuts re-interpret individualism as eccentric.’
  • ‘Not a millimetre of individualism or personality was in evidence.’
  • ‘I'm really glad British individualism is now being cultivated more than ever before.’
  • ‘Moreover, industry research indicates that the youth market is looking for individualism - and finding it in denim.’

  Synonyms

  independence, self-direction, self-reliance, freethinking, free thought, originality

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1Self-centred feeling or conduct; egoism.
     ‘Pride, a religious term for unbridled individualism, threatens the welfare of an orderly community.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘But this requires a degree of intellectual self-renunciation which is incompatible with individualism.’
     • ‘Under the shiny surface there's homelessness, ignorance, insane people on the streets, hypocrisy, a certain coldness and strong individualism in people in general.’
     • ‘Even more than the Victorian era, ours is an age of individualism rather than individuality.’
     • ‘It seems so much in contrast to that aggressive individualism around us in today's world.’

• 2A social theory favouring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.

  ‘encouragement has been given to individualism, free enterprise, and the pursuit of profit’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Under the heading ‘liberty’ the charter states: ‘We believe in individualism more than social determinism.’’
  • ‘The original Western nineteenth-century route to modernization was associated with laissez-faire capitalism, individualism, and democracy.’
  • ‘One set of beliefs expresses the commitment of a democratic society to the liberal values of justice, individualism, egalitarianism and freedom of expression.’
  • ‘To win, the Left needs to discredit and defeat the very idea of capitalism, individualism, and personal freedom.’
  • ‘What about individualism, capitalism, democracy, scientific rationalism, technical inventiveness - the supposed special features of European value-systems?’
  • ‘Or is it also about a state of mind that is only possible because of Western individualism, egalitarianism, freedom of choice and civil institutions and rights?’
  • ‘This movement is showing a sustainable and very concrete economic path based on principles of collectivism and not individualism.’
  • ‘However, the belief in the reality of a mental substance was part of the rhetoric of the theory of individualism, not the discovery of that reality.’
  • ‘The philosophical roots of both individualism and collectivism are the same.’
  • ‘This is a vital strategy for combating individualism and restoring social capital.’
  • ‘The authors identified individualism and communalism as the two core values in American society.’
  • ‘Here we see Heidegger critically pointing the finger at Nietzsche for his radical individualism, which equated freedom with a solitude that denied our worldly contextuality.’
  • ‘At the same time, the ideology of individualism, freedom and choice had been becoming increasingly prevalent.’
  • ‘This odd little book weighs collective ideology against individualism, caricaturing both.’
  • ‘These can be tentatively related to their respective contexts: class in Britain versus American democracy; interest in the social whole versus individualism.’
  • ‘Futhermore, the scientific revolution was greatly influenced by the combination - and exaltation - of the principles of individualism and rationality.’
  • ‘This is self evident, given his adherence to those great left wing principles; individualism, the free-market, starving workers and torture.’
  • ‘Actually there is a deep relationship between these apparently contradictory stances: individualistic nationalism and national individualism.’