solitary

[ sol-i-ter-ee ]

/ ˈsɒl ɪˌtɛr i /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: solitary / solitaries / solitarily / solitariness 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR solitary

1 lone.

7 isolated, retired, sequestered, remote.

9, 10 hermit, recluse.

10 eremite.

See synonyms for solitary on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

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. 2022

How to use solitary in a sentence

Among those in the mix is one that would ban the use of solitary confinement.
As Virginia Democrats rein themselves in with bill limits, some legislators see lost opportunities|Laura Vozzella|November 29, 2020|Washington Post
In staged battles between a trio of workers and a solitary soldier ant from a different species, Atta cephalotes, this mineral armor singlehandedly tipped the scale in the workers’ favor, the researchers say.
Mineral body armor helps some leaf-cutting ants win fights with bigger kin|Christie Wilcox|November 24, 2020|Science News
That means solitary stays locked in hotel rooms overseas after long shifts on the flight deck, and occasionally lengthy enforced quarantines.
Cargo pilots increasingly falling ill with coronavirus, unions say, even as they prepare to help distribute vaccine|Ian Duncan|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
Colugos were once thought to be solitary animals, Miard says.
On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops|Yao-Hua Law|November 20, 2020|Science News

My picks were private solitary escapes nestled in nature and accessible via car.
After Eight Weeks Cramped Inside An Apartment, I Escaped To The Catskills|Charli Penn|October 15, 2020|Essence.com
The group encompasses Byrne's art-rock solitariness and the dissociation effects in the spare—somewhat Godardian—staging.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael's Talking Heads Obsession|Pauline Kael|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, lunching at any Club in solitariness that day, with Aminta away from home, was bitter penance.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete|George Meredith
Nothing gives more content than solitariness, no (p. 14) solitariness like this of a single life.
How to be Happy Though Married|E. J. Hardy.
I have known men grow into a state of incurable idiocy after a few months' solitariness.
Grif|B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon
They are much addicted to solitariness, and weary of company for the most part.
A Christian Directory (Volume 1 of 4)|Richard Baxter
This solitariness in the great unknown world dazed the child.
The Burning Secret|Stefan Zweig

British Dictionary definitions for solitary

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

OTHER WORDS FOR solitary

Origin of solitary

OTHER WORDS FROM solitary

Words related to solitary

How to use solitary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for solitary

Derived forms of solitary

Word Origin for solitary