individualisticadj.
/ˌɪndᵻˌvɪdʒʊəˈlɪstɪk/, /ˌɪndᵻˌvɪdʒᵿˈlɪstɪk/, /ˌɪndᵻˌvɪdʒlˈɪstɪk/, /ˌɪndᵻˌvɪdjʊəˈlɪstɪk/, /ˌɪndᵻˌvɪdjᵿˈlɪstɪk/, U.S. /ˌɪndəˌvɪdʒ(ə)wəˈlɪstɪk/, /ˌɪndəˌvɪdʒəˈlɪstɪk/ 1. Of or relating to individualists; characterized by individualism; independent, self-reliant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > [adjective] > individualistic
individualist1839
individualistic1847
super-individualist1915
1847 Christian Rev. Dec. 534 We desire now to show that the Baptist theory is not exclusively individualistic.
1879 J. Morley Burke 172 That reaction..into which the Revolution drove many of the finest minds of the next generation by showing the supposed consequences of pure individualistic rationalism.
1893 G. Allen Scallywag III. 190 The opinion of others has a vast effect upon even the most individualistic amongst us.
1914 F. W. Chandler Aspects Mod. Drama i. 19 He [sc. Ibsen] opposes to the democratic ideal of society levelled down to uniformity, the individualistic ideal of a society levelled up to the great man.
1957 Life 9 Sept. 62/2 Crime accompanies the change from a familistic cooperative society to an individualistic, competitive one.
2013 N. Perlzweig tr. M. Matthys Cultural Capital, Identity & Social Mobility ix. 235 Striking are a strong sense of individual responsibility and the rejection of group solidarity. This individualistic attitude can become a source of conflict within the family in regard to social obligations.
2. Characterized by or expressing individuality; distinguished in nature or style from others; idiosyncratic, unconventional.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > disposition or character > [adjective] > idiosyncratic
idiosyncrasical1633
idiosyncratical1670
idiocratical1727
comical1752
idiosyncratic1754
individualistic1861
1861 Critic 8 June 729/2 In Germany have abounded writers like Jacob Boehme, pouring forth their strange, solitary thoughts in their own unborrowed, individualistic way.
1896 G. Eyre-Todd Sc. Poetry 18th Cent. II. 2 The ‘Minstrel’, in its difficult Spenserian stanza, remains without doubt its author's most individualistic work.
1949 W. G. Helmes J. A. Johnson ii. 38 The country newspapers were highly individualistic. They reflected the personalities as well as the philosophies of their editors.
2003 I. MacDonald People's Music 200 The first generation of pop stars, those of the fifties, were individualistic performers of a standardised music.
3. Ecology. Designating the concept that the distribution and association of plant species result chiefly from their individual responses to environmental conditions; relating to or demonstrating this concept.
ΚΠ
1917 H. A. Gleason in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 44 464 (heading) The individualistic concept of ecology.
1977 C. E. Warren & W. J. Liss Design & Eval. Lab. Ecol. Syst. Stud. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) 23 The organismic view of Frederic Clements and the individualistic view of Henry Gleason and L. G. Ramensky led to a largely fruitless controversy.
2009 R. M. Callaway in S. A. Levin Princeton Guide to Ecol. iii. iv. 287/2 Most ecologists probably do not perceive plant communities as fully individualistic. However, the presentation of communities as individualistic is almost the rule in general and specialized textbooks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1847