solitary

American  

[sol-i-ter-ee] / ˈsɒl ɪˌtɛr i /

adjective

1. alone; without companions; unattended.

   a solitary passer-by.

   Synonyms:

   lone

2. living alone; avoiding the society of others.

   a solitary existence.

3. by itself; alone.

   one solitary house.

4. characterized by the absence of companions.

   a solitary journey.

5. done without assistance or accompaniment; done in solitude.

   solitary chores.

6. being the only one.

   a solitary exception.

7. characterized by solitude, as a place; unfrequented, secluded, or lonely.

   a solitary cabin in the woods.

   Synonyms:

   remote, retired, isolated

8. Zoology. living habitually alone or in pairs, as certain wasps.

---

noun

solitaries plural

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

   Synonyms:

   recluse, hermit

2. a person who lives in solitude from religious motives.

   Synonyms:

   eremite, recluse, hermit

3. solitary confinement.

solitary British  

/ -trɪ, ˈsɒlɪtərɪ /

adjective

1. following or enjoying a life of solitude

   a solitary disposition

2. experienced or performed alone

   a solitary walk

3. (of a place) unfrequented

4. (prenominal) single; sole

   a solitary speck in the sky

5. having few companions; lonely

6. (of animals) not living in organized colonies or large groups Compare social gregarious

   solitary bees

   a solitary elephant

7. (of flowers) growing singly

---

noun

1. a person who lives in seclusion; hermit; recluse

2. informal short for solitary confinement

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• solitariness
  noun
• unsolitary
  adjective
• solitarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

noun

• solitaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of solitary

1300–50; Middle English < Latin sōlitārius alone, by itself, solitary, equivalent to sōlit ( ās ) solitude ( sōl ( us ) sole ¹ + -itās -ity ) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

If you're a lone wolf, a one-man band, a rugged individualist, or an island unto yourself, you prefer to be solitary — in other words, alone or single. The term can be used to describe a person, a place, or a thing. Solitary comes to us from the Latin solus, which means alone. Note its similarity to words like solo and, for all you card players out there, solitaire. You can take a solitary walk, during which you don't utter a solitary word, but pause to admire a solitary green shoot peeping through the snow. Solitary is also common in the prison world: Inmates on Alcatraz who were deemed too dangerous to mingle with their fellows were put in solitary confinement cells.

Example Sentences

Although honeybees receive most public attention, about 75% of bee species are solitary ground nesters like A. regularis.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2026

Both he and Brock reported extended solitary confinement stints—four months for Mock, seven for Brock.

From Slate • May 28, 2026

The company is one of just a handful of players pioneering neutral-atom architecture, and serves as the public market’s solitary vehicle for investing in the technology.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Look Mum No Computer, aka musician Sam Battle, got one solitary point, ending up in last place.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

“If by romantic you mean solitary and introspective,” I said, “I think romantics are frequently the best classicists.”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• lone
• lonely
• singular