Trivia Time

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

Test Your Knowledge

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

---

solitude British  

/ ˈsɒlɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. the state of being solitary or secluded

2. poetic a solitary place

---

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

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

But the more overloaded their minds become, the more they pine for a hands-on task—ideally one so noisy that nothing can interrupt their precious solitude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Drake’s always been a bully, throwing stones from his frigid fortress of solitude and hiding his hand in a diamond-encrusted glove he won at auction.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

Fukada's quiet portrait of solitude and thwarted love in rural Japan with his "Nagi Notes" is one of three Japanese movies in the 22-strong main competition in Cannes, the world's biggest film festival.

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

Lost in the solitude of his immense power, he began to lose direction.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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