lone

adjective

ˈlōn 

1

a

: having no company : solitary

b

: preferring solitude

2

: only, sole

3

: situated by itself : isolated

loneness

ˈlōn-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of lone

• only
• one
• sole
• solitary

Choose the Right Synonym for lone

alone, solitary, lonely, lonesome, lone, forlorn, desolate mean isolated from others.

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

solitary may indicate isolation as a chosen course

glorying in the calm of her solitary life

but more often it suggests sadness and a sense of loss.

left solitary by the death of his wife

lonely adds to solitary a suggestion of longing for companionship.

felt lonely and forsaken

lonesome heightens the suggestion of sadness and poignancy.

an only child often leads a lonesome life

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

a lone robin pecking at the lawn

forlorn stresses dejection, woe, and listlessness at separation from one held dear.

a forlorn lost child

desolate implies inconsolable grief at loss or bereavement.

desolate after her brother's death

Examples of lone in a Sentence

the lone ripe apple in the entire bag

just one lone cow in the middle of the field

Recent Examples on the Web

The lone exception will be Friday night, when the Royals’ game against the Twins in Minneapolis will only be available for viewing on Apple TV. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026

Less than 20 years ago, Emmy’s top drama and comedy categories were dominated by the four major broadcast networks and one, lone subscription television service, HBO. —Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

But with Madison Keys’ 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the fourth round on Monday, Frances Tiafoe isthe lone American remaining in the singles draws. —Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Merrill’s one-out single in the ninth inning gave the Padres their lone baserunner in the final two innings, and he was caught trying to steal on the final pitch of a France strikeout to end the game. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, short for alone

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing lone

• lone ranger
• lone star tick
• lone wolf
• plough a lone/lonely furrow

Rhymes for lone

• blown
• clone
• cone
• crone
• drone
• flown
• groan
• grown
• hone
• joan
• jone
• known

Kids Definition

lone

adjective

ˈlōn 

1

: having no company : solitary

a lone traveler

2

: situated by itself

a lone outpost