solitary 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsä-lə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce solitary (audio)
Definition of solitarynext
1
as in lone
being the one or ones of a class with no other members a solitary example of truth-stretching is hardly grounds for branding the man a congenital liar

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lonely
not being in the company of others a solitary sailboat was the only object on the horizon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

solitary

2 of 2

noun

as in hermit
a person who lives away from others weary of European civilization, the painter Paul Gauguin famously abandoned France to become a solitary in the South Seas

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word solitary distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of solitary are alone, desolate, forlorn, lonely, lonesome, and lone. While all these words mean "isolated from others," solitary may indicate isolation as a chosen course, but more often it suggests sadness and a sense of loss.

glorying in the calm of her solitary life
left solitary by the death of his wife

When can alone be used instead of solitary?

The meanings of alone and solitary largely overlap; however, alone stresses the objective fact of being by oneself with slighter notion of emotional involvement than most of the remaining terms.

everyone needs to be alone sometimes

In what contexts can desolate take the place of solitary?

The words desolate and solitary can be used in similar contexts, but desolate implies inconsolable grief at loss or bereavement.

desolate after her brother's death

When is it sensible to use forlorn instead of solitary?

Although the words forlorn and solitary have much in common, forlorn stresses dejection, woe, and listlessness at separation from one held dear.

a forlorn lost child

How does the word lone relate to other synonyms for solitary?

Lone may replace lonely or lonesome but typically is as objective as alone.

a lone robin pecking at the lawn

How do lonely and solitary relate to one another?

Lonely adds to solitary a suggestion of longing for companionship.

felt lonely and forsaken

When is lonesome a more appropriate choice than solitary?

The synonyms lonesome and solitary are sometimes interchangeable, but lonesome heightens the suggestion of sadness and poignancy.

an only child often leads a lonesome life

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of solitary
Adjective
The solitary creatures consume upwards of 1,000 pounds of food per day, with their diet largely consisting of shrimp, krill, crabs and schooling fish, according to NOAA. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 19 May 2025 Their experiences underscore the unique dangers of extreme heat for people in solitary, also known as administrative segregation (ad-seg for short), or the hole. —Ivy Scott, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2025
Noun
Former convicts also said that men in solitary had to put away their beds from waking call to sleep time, forcing them to stand or sit for most of the day. —Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The changes allow inmates in solitary to participate in additional rehabilitative programming and shave time off their isolation by earning credits. —Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for solitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for solitary
  1. lone
  2. lonely
  3. hermit
  4. only
  5. single
  6. one
  7. solo
  8. special
Adjective
  • Nunes’ lone loss during her dominant stretch came against Peña.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • The lone exception was Heather Wilson, president of the University of Texas at El Paso and a former Republican member of the House of Representatives and Secretary of the Air Force during the first Trump administration.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2025
Definition of lone
Adjective
  • Set in a town ruled by absurd karate law, the film watches as a lonely teen forms an unlikely bond with the ghost of his late father’s favorite action hero.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 May 2025
  • If there was no Stitch, Lilo would have remained a lonely girl, and Nani silently suffering from her massive responsibilities.
    — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Definition of lonely
Noun
  • Nicolas Cage plays a grizzled, mournful hermit named Rob who lives in the woods of the Pacific Northwest and spends his days hunting truffles with his pig, Apple, and then trading them to big-city buyer Amir (Alex Wolff).
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 May 2025
  • The meditative documentary, which premiered in competition at last year’s Locarno Film Festival, follows Jake Williams, a modern-day hermit living in Scotland’s remote Highlands.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 May 2025
Definition of hermit
Adjective
  • First, as Jencks never tired of pointing out, pluralism is the only true majority politics.
    — Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • Siakam finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists — the only Indiana starter to score in double figures.
    — Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 1 June 2025
Definition of only
Adjective
  • For a team usually fizzing with creative attacking ideas, their reliance on a single goalscorer, along with a late addition to the team and an unusually clinical finisher from the edge of the box, is not the spread of goal-scoring responsibility we are used to seeing.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • Packages valued at up to $800 can no longer bypass customs duty and instead have been slapped with higher duties and single package flat costs.
    — Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Definition of single
Adjective
  • Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.
    — SI.com, SI.com, 3 Aug. 2019
  • Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.
    — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2018
Definition of one
Adjective
  • Tait is also largely known for his solo career, as well as his work in DC Talk alongside Kevin Max and TobyMac.
    — Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 7 June 2025
  • These trailblazers are making reservations for a table for one or heading straight to the bar for a solo drink and meal.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2025
Definition of solo
Adjective
  • But his relationship with Chauncey, who is nearest in age, is special.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 2 June 2025
  • But even by such a high standard this triptych is special as a work of art and a piece of history.
    — Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Definition of special

Browse Nearby Words

solitariness
solitary
solitude
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Solitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solitary. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on solitary

Nglish: Translation of solitary for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'Bring' vs. 'Take'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

Some Data About 'Datum'

The Clinical History of 'Moron,' 'Idiot,' and 'Imbecile'
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All