loner

noun

lon·​er ˈlō-nər 

1

: one that avoids others: such as

a

: a person who is often alone or likes to be alone : someone who usually avoids the company of others

He is a moody loner who doesn't become chummy with anyone.

—Sam Moses

Many rowers will agree that sculling is a sport for loners who relish the more quixotic elements of the sport.

—D. C. Churbuck

… she found that the image of the scientist as an antisocial loner is a myth …

—Warren E. Leary

b

: a typically solitary animal

Black bears are loners and usually wander by themselves in search of food.

—Mark Carwardine

Despite the fact they are loners, cats do have a well-organized social system based on scent marks and mutual avoidance.

—Fiona Sunquist

2

: individualist sense 1

Synonyms

• maverick
• bohemian
• individualist
• eccentric

Examples of loner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

White smartly leans into an overall loner vibe that suggests someone lost in the wilderness of his own isolation. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025

The community-centric atmosphere of today’s climbing gyms signals a departure from the sensibility of bygone eras, when climbers styled themselves as misfits and loners set apart from society at-large. —Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025

In the midst of the life-or-death chaos, Arisu grows closer to Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya), an athletic loner mourning the death of her mountain climber father. —Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025

Kimberly Weinberger stars as Connie, a cautious, mildly depressive woman in a dead-end relationship with an older man, and Alex Chernow plays Tristan, a fiery, almost childlike loner with secrets. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for loner

• donor
• kroner
• kronor
• owner
• stoner
• toner
• homeowner
• landowner
• shipowner

Kids Definition

loner

noun

lon·​er ˈlō-nər 

: one that avoids others

especially : individualist sense 1