individualism
pronunciation
How to pronounce individualism in British English:
UK [ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəlɪzəm]
How to pronounce individualism in American English:
US [ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəlɪzəm]
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- Noun:
- the quality of being individual
- a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence
- the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs
Word Origin
- individualism (n.)
- "self-centered feeling," 1827, from individual + -ism. As a social philosophy (opposed to communism and socialism) first attested 1851 in writings of J.S. Mill. A majority can never replace the individual. ... Just as a hundred fools do not make one wise man, a heroic decision is not likely to come from a hundred cowards. [Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," 1933]
Antonym
Example
- 1. Our cultural demands of individualism are too extreme .
- 2. John locke injected a rather english emphasis on property and individualism .
- 3. Look for cozy hearth-and-home family scenes in advertising to replace images of extreme sports , adventure and rugged individualism .
- 4. Founded on ideals of rugged individualism , these former frontier territories are naturally conservative .
- 5. Political philosophies based on contract and individualism have a natural affinity with neoclassical economic models .