solitary
Americanadjective
-
alone; without companions; unattended.
a solitary passer-by.
- Synonyms:
- lone
-
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.
adjective
-
following or enjoying a life of solitude
a solitary disposition
-
experienced or performed alone
a solitary walk
-
(of a place) unfrequented
-
(prenominal) single; sole
a solitary speck in the sky
-
having few companions; lonely
-
(of animals) not living in organized colonies or large groups Compare social gregarious
solitary bees
a solitary elephant
-
(of flowers) growing singly
noun
-
a person who lives in seclusion; hermit; recluse
-
informal short for solitary confinement
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing solitary
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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.
See Examples For:
Sean “Diddy” Combs has reportedly been placed in solitary confinement following allegations of his lavish federal prison lifestyle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
"He really speaks very little, he's very withdrawn, very shy, off in his corner... he's a very solitary person," Saint-Eloi told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Having been arrested in Hungary in 2019, he was extradited to Portugal and has at various points been in solitary confinement, under house arrest and in witness protection.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Mr. Lai remains in solitary confinement and ill health, with only 45 minutes a day for exercise outside his cell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
He went on baiting the solitary figure on the beach.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
It is his conversations with fellow city solitaries that unveil smaller revelations, and Saramago casts the transformation of his protagonist in existential terms as Senhor José’s search becomes a project in itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Like everything these days, hermits exist on a wide spectrum and prefer a variety of identifiers: lovers of solitude, solitaries, contemplatives.
From New York Times ● Nov. 28, 2020
He was one of the longest‑enduring solitaries in history, and among the most fervent as well.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 15, 2017
It’s the solitaries who interest her, the lurkers at the fringes.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 12, 2011
We Western men, Mr. Sidwell," he said at last slowly, "are more or less solitaries.
From Ben Blair The Story of a Plainsman by Will Lillibridge
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
