solitary

[ sol-i-ter-ee ]

/ ˈsɒl ɪˌtɛr i /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR solitary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

alone; without companions; unattended: a solitary passer-by.

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. Compare social(def 11).

noun, plural sol·i·tar·ies.

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

a person who lives in solitude from religious motives.

solitary confinement.

Origin of solitary

1300–50; Middle English < Latin sōlitārius alone, by itself, solitary, equivalent to sōlit(ās) solitude ( sōl(us) sole¹ + -itās -ity) + -ārius -ary

SYNONYMS FOR solitary

1 lone.

7 isolated, retired, sequestered, remote.

9, 10 hermit, recluse.

10 eremite.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR solitary ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM solitary

sol·i·tar·i·ly, adverb sol·i·tar·i·ness, noun un·sol·i·tar·y, adjective

Words nearby solitary

solion, soliped, solipsism, solipsistic, solitaire, solitary, solitary bee, solitary bone cyst, solitary confinement, solitary follicle, solitary sandpiper

Example sentences from the Web for solitariness

There had been a solitariness in her aspect which seemed to forbid any such companionship.

Room Number 3 |Anna Katharine Green
The solitariness which exerted so potent a spell on Wordsworth had in it nothing ‘Byronic.’

Oxford Lectures on Poetry |Andrew Cecil Bradley
Above everything, we find here that solitariness and absence of human interest now so rare in England.

Birds and Man |W. H. Hudson
The solitariness of each human soul is the first fact in religious consciousness.

Mountain Meditations |L. Lind-af-Hageby

Your opportunity, for the solitariness of two, will be limited.

In Her Own Right |John Reed Scott

British Dictionary definitions for solitariness

solitary

/ (ˈsɒlɪtərɪ, -trɪ) /

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 solitary bees; a solitary elephant Compare social (def. 7), gregarious (def. 2)

(of flowers) growing singly

noun plural -taries

a person who lives in seclusion; hermit; recluse

informal short for solitary confinement

Derived forms of solitary

solitarily, adverb solitariness, noun

Word Origin for solitary

C14: from Latin sōlitārius, from sōlus sole 1

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

solitary

adjective

noun, plural sol·i·tar·ies.

Origin of solitary

SYNONYMS FOR solitary

OTHER WORDS FROM solitary

Words nearby solitary

Example sentences from the Web for solitariness

British Dictionary definitions for solitariness

adjective

noun plural -taries

Derived forms of solitary

Word Origin for solitary

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

solitary

adjective

noun, plural sol·i·tar·ies.

Origin of solitary

SYNONYMS FOR solitary

OTHER WORDS FROM solitary

Words nearby solitary

Words related to solitariness

Example sentences from the Web for solitariness

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for solitariness

adjective

noun plural -taries

Derived forms of solitary

Word Origin for solitary

British Dictionary definitions for solitariness