Trivia Time

Which author wrote, "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude"?

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solitude

American  

[sol-i-tood, -tyood] / ˈsɒl ɪˌtud, -ˌtjud /

noun

• solitudes
  plural

1. 

   the state of being or living alone; seclusion.

   to enjoy one's solitude.

   Synonyms:

   privacy, retirement

2. remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity.

   the solitude of the mountains.

   Synonyms:

   loneliness

3. a lonely, unfrequented place.

   a solitude in the mountains.

   Synonyms:

   wilderness, desert

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solitude British  

/ ˈsɒlɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. the state of being solitary or secluded

2. poetic a solitary place

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Synonym Usage

Solitude, isolation refer to a state of being or living alone. Solitude emphasizes the quality of being or feeling lonely and deserted: to live in solitude. Isolation may mean merely a detachment and separation from others: to be put in isolation with an infectious disease.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• solitudinous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• solitudes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of solitude

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin sōlitūdō. See soli- ¹, -tude

Explanation

Solitude is the state of being alone. You might crave solitude after spending the holidays with your big, loud family — you want nothing more than to get away from everyone for a little while. Solitude can also refer to a place where you're completely alone. The middle of the woods, the top of a big mountain, the middle of a vast desert, even your room — these are places where you might go for solitude. Solitude comes from the Latin word solitudinem, which means "loneliness," but if you have moments of solitude that doesn't necessarily mean you're lonely. The word solitude carries the sense that you're enjoying being alone by choice.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

solitude solitudes

As Herzog moves the sisters between reality and film’s dreamy latter half, he plunges into the fizzy static that comprises their cosmic connection, examining their solitude as only he can.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Ample windows and three distinct outdoor spaces connect the dwelling to the world around it—including views of the Silver Lake Reservoir and San Gabriel mountains—while its tucked-away location in the hills creates space for solitude.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Oeldorf-Hirsch believes the appeal of solitude content is filling a social need for the creators and their audience, providing some "balance" against the dominance of hyper-glamourised influencer culture.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

He was especially interested in thresholds: the moment you move from sidewalk to entry, street to courtyard, apartment to terrace; from solitude to community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

Silence and solitude: she might have been alone in the world.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Are the vast mountain solitudes of British Columbia, of which but very few have been so far explored, populated by a hairy race of giants—men—not ape-like men?

From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2023

“No one can stand in these solitudes unmoved,” he wrote.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022

But the platform is more effective in collecting solitudes than in bringing strangers on a large scale meaningfully together.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2020

Who better to offer up an olive branch that can ease the hitherto irreconcilable tensions between Canada’s two solitudes?

From The Guardian ● Jan. 10, 2020

He wandered through the wild solitudes of Thrace, comfortless except for his lyre, playing, always playing, and the rocks and the rivers and the trees heard him gladly, his only companions.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• emptiness
• isolation
• loneliness
• seclusion
• silence