solitary

[ sol-i-ter-ee ]

/ ˈsɒl ɪˌtɛr i /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR solitary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

alone; without companions; unattended: a solitary passer-by.

living alone; avoiding the society of others: a solitary existence.

by itself; alone: one solitary house.

characterized by the absence of companions: a solitary journey.

done without assistance or accompaniment; done in solitude: solitary chores.

being the only one: a solitary exception.

characterized by solitude, as a place; unfrequented, secluded, or lonely: a solitary cabin in the woods.

Zoology. living habitually alone or in pairs, as certain wasps.Compare social(def 11).

noun, plural sol·i·tar·ies.

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

a person who lives in solitude from religious motives.

solitary confinement.

Words nearby solitary

solion, soliped, solipsism, solipsistic, solitaire, solitary, solitary bee, solitary bone cyst, solitary confinement, solitary follicle, solitary sandpiper

Origin of solitary

1300–50; Middle English < Latin sōlitārius alone, by itself, solitary, equivalent to sōlit(ās) solitude (sōl(us) sole¹ + -itās -ity) + -ārius -ary

SYNONYMS FOR solitary

1 lone.

7 isolated, retired, sequestered, remote.

9, 10 hermit, recluse.

10 eremite.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR solitary ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM solitary

sol·i·tar·i·ly, adverbsol·i·tar·i·ness, nounun·sol·i·tar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for solitarily

The man was slowly wandering about, solitarily and distressed.
English Grammar in Familiar Lectures|Samuel Kirkham
Probably he can work in no other way than from the impulse of his enthusiasm, solitarily.
The Short Works of George Meredith|George Meredith
He would walk also solitarily in the fields, sometimes reading and sometimes praying; and thus for some days he spent his time.
Bunyan Characters (Second Series)|Alexander Whyte
Men moved about solitarily through the night, each saying bitterly to his own heart, 'Would that it had been one of us.'
The Earl of Mayo|William Wilson Hunter

And the gardener is to plant another maple tree beside it, that it may not stand so solitarily there.
A Hungarian Nabob|Maurus Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for solitarily

solitary

/ (ˈsɒlɪtərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

following or enjoying a life of solitudea solitary disposition

experienced or performed alonea solitary walk

(of a place) unfrequented

(prenominal) single; solea solitary speck in the sky

having few companions; lonely

(of animals) not living in organized colonies or large groupssolitary bees; a solitary elephant Compare social (def. 7), gregarious (def. 2)

(of flowers) growing singly

noun plural -taries

a person who lives in seclusion; hermit; recluse

informal short for solitary confinement

Derived forms of solitary

solitarily, adverbsolitariness, noun

Word Origin for solitary

C14: from Latin sōlitārius, from sōlus sole 1

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

solitary

adjective

noun, plural sol·i·tar·ies.

Content related to solitary

Words related to solitary

Words nearby solitary

Origin of solitary

SYNONYMS FOR solitary

OTHER WORDS FROM solitary

Examples from the Web for solitarily

British Dictionary definitions for solitarily

adjective

noun plural -taries

Derived forms of solitary

Word Origin for solitary