solitude
Americannoun
-
the state of being or living alone; seclusion.
to enjoy one's solitude.
- Synonyms:
- privacy, retirement
-
remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity.
the solitude of the mountains.
- Synonyms:
- loneliness
-
a lonely, unfrequented place.
a solitude in the mountains.
- Synonyms:
- wilderness, desert
noun
-
the state of being solitary or secluded
-
poetic a solitary place
Related Words
Solitude, isolation refer to a state of being or living alone. Solitude emphasizes the quality of being or feeling lonely and deserted: to live in solitude. Isolation may mean merely a detachment and separation from others: to be put in isolation with an infectious disease.
Other Word Forms
- solitudinous adjective
Etymology
Origin of solitude
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin sōlitūdō. See soli- 1, -tude
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.
“The first is “The Longest Way Home,” where I was trying to come to terms with getting married again, where I was asking, how do you maintain intimacy and preserve your inherent solitude?
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
Abeba describes a cycle of grief and friction - arguing with loved ones, quitting jobs, and crying in solitude.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
In tightly controlled Russia, her life is defined by solitude.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
On the occasion that we’re let out of our house, our screens come with us, acting as an extra limb or a tool to curb solitude.
From Salon • Dec. 21, 2025
I stared up at the buttresses of rough rock, solitary in the huge solitude of the heights, and I did not believe the driver; but I suspended my disbelief.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions 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.
