singleness

noun

sin·​gle·​ness ˈsiŋ-gəl-nəs How to pronounce singleness (audio)
: the quality or state of being single

Examples of singleness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Selena Gomez is celebrating singleness, and Carrie Bradshaw would not approve. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2023 Her life honed to a singleness of purpose while my father stumbles about, narrating the current state of his illnesses. Jamie Quatro, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023 Is this supposed bible of singleness still applicable now? Lauren O’Neill, Vogue, 17 July 2023 Key turns to the 10 songs on Mitchell’s album Blue, using each song to think through how singleness has shaped her life socially, emotionally, and materially. Hannah Rosefield, The New Republic, 8 June 2023 The report, published Wednesday by a church Commission on Families and Households, urges people to honor singleness and single-person households — and to be open to reimagining a society that allows everyone to thrive, including the unpartnered. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023 This symbolizes my walking into singleness. Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2023 Lucy Anguiano, 54, a marketing and promotions manager for a media company and a lifelong workaholic who partly attributes her singleness to her love of her job, had formerly observed a strict labor demarcation between her Manhattan Beach, Calif., apartment and her L.A. office. Belinda Luscombe, Time, 17 Apr. 2021 His singleness of purpose afforded no time for boredom. Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 26 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'singleness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of singleness was in 1560

Dictionary Entries Near singleness

Cite this Entry

“Singleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/singleness. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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