Slangora

induhvidual

(slang, derogatory) A foolish person, especially one whose blundering creates difficulty for others.

ɪnˌduvəˈduəlDocumented since 1990s1990sMillennialhistorical154 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🗺️ Regional & Other
1 definition
Community

Etymology timeline

Born ~1995 · no dated citations yet
1995BornToday, 2026
Millennial / early-internet eraSee decade cohort →

Definitions

Avoid at work
#1·Apr 27, 2026

(slang, derogatory) A foolish person, especially one whose blundering creates difficulty for others.

Origin: . In 1995, Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams asked readers of the Dilbert Newsletter to come up with a "good derogatory nickname for non-DNRC [Dogbert's New Ruling Class, the official Dilbert fanclub] people" that "should sound harmless and endearing but have a clever double meaning", ultimately selecting "induhvidual" (submitted by "Heather of Beantown") as the winning entry. Issues of the newsletter since then have included a section called "True Tales of Induhviduals" featuring reader-contributed stories about people doing foolish things. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"induhvidual" means: A foolish person, especially one whose blundering creates difficulty for others.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"induhvidual" means: A foolish person, especially one whose blundering creates difficulty for others.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

Was this helpful?

Comments

For specific readers

"induhvidual" means: A foolish person, especially one whose blundering creates difficulty for others.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

Have a better definition?

Add your own interpretation of "induhvidual".

Add definition

🗺️About Regional & Other slang

Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.

See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.

Tags

Other words near "induhvidual" (I)

Browse all slang words starting with I.

Related terms

People also read

Semantically related