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 of loner

• maverick
• bohemian
• individualist
• eccentric

Examples of loner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Struggling actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) stumbles into the superhero world when a government agent targets the reluctantly powered loner. —Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026

Seated in the same car, directly across from two of the teenagers, was a white loner named Bernie Goetz. —Heather Ann Thompson, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026

Douglas was often a loner and had tense relationships, even with like-minded colleagues. —John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026

Rewatched today, through no foreseeable fault of the movie or actor, Davison’s wimpy, anti-social straight white loner character still looks like a caricature but feels darker. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2026

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