alone

American  

[uh-lohn] / əˈloʊn /

adjective

1. separate, apart, or isolated from others.

   I want to be alone.

   Synonyms:

   unattended, unaccompanied, solitary, single

2. to the exclusion of all others or all else.

   One cannot live by bread alone.

3. unique; unequaled; unparalleled.

   He is alone among his peers in devotion to duty.

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adverb

1. solitarily; solo.

   She prefers to live alone.

2. only; exclusively.

   You alone hold the key to your happiness.

3. without aid or help.

   The baby let go of the side of the crib and stood alone.

idioms

1. let alone. let.

2. leave / let well enough alone, to be satisfied with the existing situation; refrain from attempting to change conditions.

   Marriages are often destroyed by relatives who will not let well enough alone.

3. leave alone. leave.

alone British  

/ əˈləʊn /

adjective

1. apart from another or others; solitary

2. without anyone or anything else

   one man alone could lift it

3. without equal; unique

   he stands alone in the field of microbiology

4. to the exclusion of others; only

   she alone believed him

5. to refrain from annoying or interfering with

6. to refrain from interfering with something that is satisfactory

7. much less; not to mention

   he can't afford beer, let alone whisky

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alone More Idioms  

1. see go it alone; leave someone alone; leave well enough alone; let alone.

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Usage

See leave ¹.

Related Words

Alone, lone, lonely, lonesome all imply being without companionship or association. Alone is colorless unless reinforced by all; it then suggests solitariness or desolation: alone in the house; all alone on an island. Lone is somewhat poetic or is intended humorously: a lone sentinel. Lonely implies a sad or disquieting feeling of isolation. Lonesome connotes emotion, a longing for companionship.

Other Word Forms

• aloneness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of alone

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English al one all (in the sense “wholly”) one

Explanation

The word alone comes from a combination of the Middle English words "all" and "one," which is really all you need to know to understand the word. A person who is alone is all-in-one; there's no one else around. Depending how you look at it, the word alone can have positive or negative connotations. A person with a bad attitude that no one wants to be around might find himself alone much of the time. But someone seeking solitude, might choose to be alone. Then there are those people or things that are so unique or special that they alone possess a certain quality. Superman alone could save the world from the evil hand of Lex Luthor.

Example Sentences

Appeared in the May 8, 2026, print edition as 'Religion and the Right to Be Left Alone'.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The so-called “Home Alone House” hit the market in May 2024 for $5.25 million, with Culkin revealing months later that he had thought about snapping it up “just for giggles.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

No. This was in no way like the New York City-Paris switcheroo from the 1992 film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

Her on-screen son in holiday classics Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, Macaulay Culkin, also paid an emotional tribute on Instagram.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

Alone in the dark, his figure was quickly lost to my sight, as if he had disappeared from the earth forever.

From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis

Related Words

• only
• unattended