Synonyms of solitude

solitude

noun

ˈsä-lə-ˌtüd 

as in privacy

the state of being alone or kept apart from others

sought the kind of solitude where his thoughts would be his only companions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• privacy
• isolation
• loneliness
• aloneness
• seclusion
• segregation
• solitariness
• separateness
• insulation
• confinement
• sequestration
• retirement
• internment
• secludedness
• lonesomeness
• vacuum
• withdrawal
• quarantine
• incarceration
• ghettoization

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• society
• companionship
• company
• fellowship
• camaraderie
• comradeship

Synonym Chooser

How is the word solitude distinct from other similar nouns?

The words isolation and seclusion are common synonyms of solitude. While all three words mean "the state of one who is alone," solitude may imply a condition of being apart from all human beings or of being cut off by wish or circumstances from one's usual associates.

a few quiet hours of solitude

When is it sensible to use isolation instead of solitude?

The words isolation and solitude are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, isolation stresses detachment from others often involuntarily.

the isolation of the village in winter

When can seclusion be used instead of solitude?

The words seclusion and solitude can be used in similar contexts, but seclusion suggests a shutting away or keeping apart from others often connoting deliberate withdrawal from the world or retirement to a quiet life.

lived in pastoral seclusion

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of solitude

Faith Hill writes about the strange appeal of the solitude influencer. —David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 June 2026

Create a sense of solitude with fast-growing plants that screen views while enhancing the garden. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 May 2026

Saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who spent more than two years practicing in solitude as a young man on a windswept New York bridge to reinvent his playing and become one of the giants of jazz, died at the age of 95 on Monday, May 25, his publicist said. —William Schomberg, USA Today, 25 May 2026

The power of the pilgrimage is found in the balance between solitude and community, sacrifice and hospitality, pain and pleasure. —New York Times, 19 May 2026