solitary
- 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).
- 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.
Origin of solitary
Synonyms for solitary
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for solitarily
abandoned, deserted, desolate, detached, forlorn, forsaken, friendless, hermit, individual, isolated, lone, lonely, lonesome, only, single, singly, sole, solely, solitary, soloExamples from the Web for solitarily
Historical Examples of solitarily
Probably he can work in no other way than from the impulse of his enthusiasm, solitarily.
The Short Works of George MeredithGeorge Meredith
The man was slowly wandering about, solitarily and distressed.
English Grammar in Familiar LecturesSamuel Kirkham
And the gardener is to plant another maple tree beside it, that it may not stand so solitarily there.
A Hungarian NabobMaurus Jkai
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 MayoWilliam Wilson Hunter
To understand therefore this text, we are not to consider it solitarily, but jointly with the words precedent, and subsequent.
LeviathanThomas Hobbes
solitary
- 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
- a person who lives in seclusion; hermit; recluse
- informal short for solitary confinement
Word Origin for solitary
Word Origin and History for solitarily
solitary
mid-14c., "alone, living alone," from Old French solitaire, from Latin solitarius "alone, lonely, isolated," from solitas "loneliness, solitude," from solus "alone" (see sole (adj.)). Meaning "single, sole, only" is from 1742. Related: Solitarily; solitariness. As a noun from late 14c.; from 1854 as short for solitary confinement (that phrase recorded from 1817).