single-handedly
Americanadverb
Usage
What does single-handedly mean? Single-handedly means done or accomplished alone—without help from anyone, as in Carol completed the project single-handedly—she did every last thing herself. Single-handedly is the adverb form of the adjective single-handed, which is used to describe something done by one person, as with a single-handed attempt. Single-handed can also be used as an adverb, as in Abdul sailed the boat single-handed. Single-handedly is also used in situations in which someone has done something without help from anyone else even though they were available, as in She single-handedly beat the other team—scoring the final 15 points of the game by herself. Example: Lori single-handedly solved the math equation that had stumped mathematicians for years.
Etymology
Origin of single-handedly
First recorded in 1880–85
Explanation
When you do something single-handedly, you do it on your own, with no help from anyone else. Superheroes are known for single-handedly defeating bad guys. Use the adverb single-handedly when a person achieves something independently, especially when it's especially admirable or difficult. Your mom might have single-handedly raised you and your siblings, or you might try to single-handedly move a dining room table out the front door before your yard sale. Single-handedly comes from the adjective single-handed, or "done without help," and both words have been in use since the early 1700's.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If anyone could single handedly break down the nation’s ranch dressing supply without lifting a finger, it would be Taylor Swift.
From Salon • Oct. 23, 2023
The CEO of the organization, Michael Farris, got his start in the Christian homeschooling movement, which he single handedly transformed into a cultural and legal powerhouse.
From Slate • Jun. 30, 2022
“I think the shift is single handedly killing the game because now you’ve got everybody lifting the ball over the shift,” Smoltz said.
From Washington Times • Aug. 22, 2018
The auctions continue on Wednesday with Christie's sale of contemporary art, a category that almost single handedly drove the market's most recent boom.
From Reuters • May 17, 2017
I had to handle the reporting-desk single handedly for months together.
From Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
