solitary

[sol-i-ter-ee]

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

plural

solitaries 

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

/ -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

• solitarily adverb
• solitariness noun
• unsolitary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of solitary¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of solitary¹

C14: from Latin sōlitārius, from sōlus _sole ¹

Example Sentences

He wrote that he had been kept in solitary confinement after a death threat in August, and apologised for his actions.

Read more on BBC

The brown hyena, the rarest of all hyena species, is primarily nocturnal and tends to live a solitary life.

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“Oh. Oh, Michael. Michael, you are blind,” she says, a solitary tear rolling down her cheek.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

County’s juvenile halls in 2018 and found probation officers were using pepper spray excessively, failing to provide proper educational and therapeutic programming and detaining youths in solitary confinement for far too long.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With his allies turning their back, Macron is looking more solitary than ever.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• lone 
• lonely 
• singular