The paper is devoted to the analysis of the semantics of the word “individuality” in modern
speech. The research was conducted by analyzing the national newspaper texts (1 060 contexts).
The research shows, that at present time the word “individuality” is used primarily in 3 meanings
that do not completely coincide with those given in the explanatory dictionaries: 1) the properties
and qualities of the individual that distinguish him from the others; 2) the distinctive features
of something; 3) a person as the bearer of the distinctive qualities and properties. The most
active is the first meaning that involves a number of semantic nuances, distributed over the poles:
1) ‘bright, distinctive traits of a person’ and 2) ‘the unique qualities that make one person unlike
another’. In the first case, we are talking about the properties of the outstanding representative
of the class of people as a spiritual and ethical ideal of personality. In the second, that is more
common, the individuality is the characteristic that creates the difference between anyone and the
individuality, thus, it is an attribute inherent in all people. The word “individuality” is used
to denote the distinctive features of something: phenomena, process, object, etc. (excluding the
man). Naming a person with the unique characteristics and qualities is rare; the word “individuality”
is used for denoting any person and is close to the word “individual”. At present, native
speakers are redefining the concept “individuality,” and the semantic boundaries of this word
in modern word usage are expanding.
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