loner

noun

lon·er | \ ˈlō-nər

\

Definition of loner

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

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Things start off innocently enough when cynical loner Weller (Blumenfeld) strikes up a conversation with recent arrival Fonsia (James), a fellow refugee from Visitors Day festivities. — Philip Brandes, Los Angeles Times, "Review: At Theatricum Botanicum, two fine actors remind us why ‘The Gin Game’ won a Pulitzer," 8 Sep. 2019 Even misanthropic loners like Daria deserve a bestie, in this case one who is cynical and artsy. — Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, "The week in watching: Rhoda and TV besties, couples on the couch, and Sacha Baron Cohen, seriously," 1 Sep. 2019 Eisenberg excels at playing an easy-to-dismiss type: the nebbish, the misanthrope, the loner. — Justin Chang, Detroit Free Press, "‘Art of Self-Defense’ takes comic aim at masculinity," 18 July 2019 Your love light might be switched on by the misunderstood-loner type. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for Aug. 14, 2019: Happy birthday Steve Martin; Capricorn, restrictions ease," 14 Aug. 2019 Those angry loner white boys with guns, this time in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, have again erupted on the body politic. — John Kass, Twin Cities, "John Kass: Weaponizing the dead of El Paso and Dayton," 9 Aug. 2019 Players take on the role of Ash, a young loner who spends his time drawing in his notebook. — Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, "Preview: Painting happy little trees in ‘Concrete Genie’ reminds me of Bob Ross," 30 July 2019 The lives of best friends diverge after high-school graduation and their encounter with a pathetic loner. — Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019 In many of the recent tragedies, the shooters were described as loners, full of emotional pain and who, at times, were blatantly antisocial. — Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, "Dr. Sanjay Gupta: The epidemic of gun violence is treatable," 6 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'loner.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.