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

"There's no way solar evaporation alone can match future demand," said Ngai Yin Yip, La Von Duddleson Krumb Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2026

Similarly, his cultural allusions no longer provoke even a tingle, let alone a shock of recognition.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

“Oil spikes don’t cause recessions alone — they detonate existing fragilities,” the Rapidan team said.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

"I work on my weaknesses and try to improve all the time — in the gym alone after training, before training," Salah told Sports Illustrated.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

He lived entirely alone in a perpetually dying forest.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• only
• unattended