case-by-caseadv.adj.
/ˌkeɪsbʌɪˈkeɪs/, U.S. /ˌkeɪsˌbaɪˈkeɪs/ A. adv.
On the basis of, or according to, each individual case; so as to consider each case separately, taking into account its individual circumstances and features.
ΚΠ
1777 Jrnls. House of Lords anno 1763 30 428/1 This Method of relaxing the Rule of Privilege, Case by Case, is pregnant with this further Inconvenience, that it renders the Rule precarious and uncertain.
1857 Ecclesiastic 19 340 That which has hitherto been done, case by case, by private bills, is now proposed generally under the sanction of a public act.
1871 Daily News (London) 26 Aug. It [sc. cholera] will make its appearance..in several localities at the same time.., as proved by examinations made by our inspectors carefully, case by case.
1937 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 2 Nov. 1/3 Taking case by case various forms of insanity Dr. Karnosh..described the two classifications [etc.].
1972 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. 29 May a4/5 McGovern thinks..amnesty for draft dodgers and deserters should be judged case by case after the war.
2008 Wall St. Jrnl. 1 July d6/5 Lenders say they are reducing existing home-equity lines of credit... It seems that ‘the banks are freezing the HELOCs first, and evaluating case-by-case later’.
B. adj.
That considers or deals with each case separately, taking into account its individual circumstances and features.
ΚΠ
1907 25th Ann. Rep. Charity Organization Soc. (N.Y.) 100 About one-third, $26,013.76, was secured on the ‘case-by-case system’.
1922 F. D. Watson Charity Organization Movement in U.S. vii. 276 The case-by-case method rather than ‘mass’ movements for prevention.
1933 N. Y. Herald Times 19 May 19/3 The state is trying to conserve appropriations by adjustments on a ‘case by case’ basis.
1969 Econ. Jrnl. 79 127 Where the legal approach allows for a wide application of case-by-case judication.
1992 Economist 12 Sept. 23/3 One of the principles that came to the fore..is..the need for a case-by-case approach... Some bankers and academics at the time were pressing for..a kind of ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer to the debt problem.
2003 N.Y. Times 11 May 19/6 Airline passengers will be permitted to take cats, monkeys and other animals aboard domestic flights on a case-by-case basis for emotional support.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adv.adj.1777