individualize

[ in-duh-vij-oo-uh-lahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, in·di·vid·u·al·ized, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·ing.

1. to make individual or distinctive; give an individual or distinctive character to.
2. to mention, indicate, or consider individually; specify; particularize.

individualize

/ ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjʊəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to make or mark as individual or distinctive in character
2. to consider or treat individually; particularize
3. to make or modify so as to meet the special requirements of a person

Derived Forms

• ˌindiˈvidualˌizer, noun
• ˌindiˌvidualiˈzation, noun

Other Words From

• indi·vidu·al·i·zation noun
• indi·vidu·al·izer noun
• over·indi·vidu·al·i·zation noun
• unin·di·vidu·al·ized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of individualize¹

First recorded in 1630–40; individual + -ize

Example Sentences

The problem is structural, and should not be individualized through vilification of particular bureaucrats or officials.

From Time

Activists gathered panels from around the country that bore the names and individualized the losses in the hopes that it would help people understand the disease’s impact and memorialize lives they feared history would not remember.

From Time

These calculators — and the implementation of race correction — are intended to individualize risk so that doctors don’t apply a blanket decision to all patients and to remove physician bias when making difficult decisions.

From Vox

The other – and bigger – problem is that these new guidelines individualize the response to a population-level problem.

From Voice of San Diego

In a painstaking analysis, they show how hard the oil giant has worked to keep the conversation about climate solutions focused on the consumer, effectively individualizing responsibility for the problem.

From Vox

The more extreme technical practitioners may so over-individualize this collective art as to make it almost unendurable.

From Project Gutenberg

Here design to individualize the living-room comes into play, and is most conspicuous for good or for evil effect.

From Project Gutenberg

Of course skill was needed to individualize the symbol, but that is what caricaturists propose to themselves.

From Project Gutenberg

For the first and foremost effect of the tropics is to individualize things.

From Project Gutenberg

The only sure rule is to individualize the cases and make an exact diagnosis.

From Project Gutenberg