solitary

American  

[sol-i-ter-ee] / ˈsɒl ɪˌtɛr i /

adjective

1. alone; without companions; unattended.

   a solitary passer-by.

   Synonyms:

   lone

2. living alone; avoiding the society of others.

   a solitary existence.

3. by itself; alone.

   one solitary house.

4. characterized by the absence of companions.

   a solitary journey.

5. done without assistance or accompaniment; done in solitude.

   solitary chores.

6. being the only one.

   a solitary exception.

7. characterized by solitude, as a place; unfrequented, secluded, or lonely.

   a solitary cabin in the woods.

   Synonyms:

   remote, retired, isolated

8. Zoology. living habitually alone or in pairs, as certain wasps.

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noun

solitaries plural

1. a person who lives alone or in solitude, or avoids the society of others.

   Synonyms:

   recluse, hermit

2. a person who lives in solitude from religious motives.

   Synonyms:

   eremite, recluse, hermit

3. solitary confinement.

solitary British  

/ -trɪ, ˈsɒlɪtərɪ /

adjective

1. following or enjoying a life of solitude

   a solitary disposition

2. experienced or performed alone

   a solitary walk

3. (of a place) unfrequented

4. (prenominal) single; sole

   a solitary speck in the sky

5. having few companions; lonely

6. (of animals) not living in organized colonies or large groups Compare social gregarious

   solitary bees

   a solitary elephant

7. (of flowers) growing singly

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noun

1. a person who lives in seclusion; hermit; recluse

2. informal short for solitary confinement

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• solitariness
  noun
• unsolitary
  adjective
• solitarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• solitaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of solitary

1300–50; Middle English < Latin sōlitārius alone, by itself, solitary, equivalent to sōlit ( ās ) solitude ( sōl ( us ) sole ¹ + -itās -ity ) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

If you're a lone wolf, a one-man band, a rugged individualist, or an island unto yourself, you prefer to be solitary — in other words, alone or single. The term can be used to describe a person, a place, or a thing. Solitary comes to us from the Latin solus, which means alone. Note its similarity to words like solo and, for all you card players out there, solitaire. You can take a solitary walk, during which you don't utter a solitary word, but pause to admire a solitary green shoot peeping through the snow. Solitary is also common in the prison world: Inmates on Alcatraz who were deemed too dangerous to mingle with their fellows were put in solitary confinement cells.

Example Sentences

But I have a sneaking suspicion, Solitary Gourmet, that you have all of this in the bag.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

For his wife, Dolores Canales, co-founder of the California Families Against Solitary Confinement, the film offers a chance to address the rhetoric pushing for solitary confinement in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2025

This article was supported by a grant from the Ridgeway Reporting Project, managed by Solitary Watch with funding from the Vital Projects Fund.

From Slate • Oct. 20, 2024

Solitary confinement placements in the third quarter of 2023 were 61 percent higher than in the third quarter of the previous year, according to ICE’s quarterly reports.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2024

Solitary bucks and unmated rabbits who are wandering do this for quite long periods, especially in summer.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• lone
• lonely
• singular