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Synonyms

singleton

American  
[sing-guhl-tuhn] / ˈsɪŋ gəl tən /

noun

  1. a person or thing occurring singly, especially an individual set apart from others.

    1. a child or animal that is the only one born at one birth.

      a research program involving twins and singletons.

    2. an only child in a family.

  3. Chiefly British. an unmarried person; a single.

  4. Cards. a card that is the only one of a suit in a hand.

  5. Mathematics. a set consisting of one given element.

singleton British  
/ ˈsɪŋɡəltən /

noun

  1. bridge an original holding of one card only in a suit

  2. a single object, individual, etc, separated or distinguished from a pair or group

  3. maths a set containing only one member

  4. a person who is neither married nor in a relationship

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of singleton

First recorded in 1875–80; single + -ton

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.

Dennis is indeed twinless — not by a twist of fate but because he came into this world a singleton and is lying.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2025

Bring on the granny pants and awkward moments, because beloved singleton Bridget Jones is back on our screens on Thursday.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2025

The study included singleton pregnancies that delivered between 2008 and 2015.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2024

“I’m the singleton of the family and the friend group,” said the 53-year-old Plessis, who lives in Manitoba, Canada.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024

In No-trumps or with the Trumps exhausted, never discard a singleton, or too many cards of a weak suit.

From Auction of To-day by Work, Milton C.

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.