standalone

or stand-a·lone

[ stand-uh-lohn ]

adjective

1. complete unto itself; not being or understood as part of a set, system, or series; self-contained: The studio doubted that this story would find an audience as a stand-alone film.

   Our aerospace degree plan is a standalone program, and not a division of the mechanical engineering department.

   The studio doubted that this story would find an audience as a stand-alone film.

2. Computers. able to operate without other hardware or software:

   There are several standalone apps you can use to add live captioning to your videos.

noun

1. a single work that may be understood and appreciated without knowledge of other episodes, books, issues, etc.:

   The author has taken a break from the series to put out two standalones just in time for the holidays.

2. Computers. a device or program that does not need other hardware or software to fully function:

   A decent VR rig for your PC won’t be any cheaper than a standalone.

Word History and Origins

Origin of standalone¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The Care and Management of Lies: A Novel of the Great War, to be published July 1, is her first standalone novel.

From The Daily Beast

They are now attracting a number of students who just go for the standalone degree.

From The Daily Beast

The Google spokesperson declined to comment on whether Google has any plans to create a standalone Maps app for iOS.

From The Daily Beast

It's a statement from The Huffington Post that being a standalone media product, no matter how mighty, can be a lonely place.

From The Daily Beast

We were going to do that and we left one studio and went to another to do kind of standalone films.

From The Daily Beast