as in solitude
the state of being alone or kept apart from others
it was an overwhelming sense of aloneness that eventually drove the island castaway mad
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Recent Examples of aloneness
People often refer to aloneness and writer’s block as the two great challenges of being a novelist.
—
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
This is a telling fantasy—to feel more content in one’s dreamed aloneness than in real society.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
This is a telling fantasy—to feel more content in one’s dreamed aloneness than in real society.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aloneness
Noun
-
Big game hunters, backpackers, river runners, national park visitors, artists and musicians all make the long trek into Big Bend National Park for the wilderness, the wildlands and the solitude.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Sure, music lays down a foundation of loudness in bars and DJs mix tracks in dance clubs, but most of us, most of the time, do our listening in solitude.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Lovely people, every one, but if your definition of vacation privacy includes stepping onto your terrace without locking eyes with someone else's morning routine, request a standalone cottage or spring for a villa.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
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Please allow family and friends privacy and patience during this difficult time.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In either case, there is a loneliness innate to the situation of being an outlier.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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These morning visits break up loneliness and isolation that is common and potentially dangerous for seniors.—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The abrupt onset of social isolation and the disruption of academic routine led to anxiety.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
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Jessica Winter reports » More Top Stories Mitski’s new album is a dark ode to isolation.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aloneness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aloneness. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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