solitary

adjective

sol·i·tary | \ ˈsä-lə-ˌter-ē

Definition of solitary

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : being, living, or going alone or without companions

b : saddened by isolation

2 : unfrequented, desolate a solitary seashore

3a : taken, passed, or performed without companions a solitary ramble

b : keeping a prisoner apart from others solitary confinement

4 : being at once single and isolated a solitary example

5a : occurring singly and not as part of a group or cluster flowers terminal and solitary

b : not gregarious, colonial, social, or compound solitary bees

solitary

noun

plural solitaries

Definition of solitary (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : one who lives or seeks to live a solitary life : recluse

2 : solitary confinement in prison put him in solitary

Other Words from solitary Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about solitary

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Other Words from solitary

Adjective

solitarily \ ˌsä-lə-ˈter-ə-lē

\ adverb

solitariness \ ˈsä-lə-ˌter-ē-nəs

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for solitary

Adjective

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 solitary in a Sentence

Adjective

He took a solitary walk on the beach. A solitary house stood on top of the cliff. Most cats are solitary creatures. He's a very solitary man.

Noun

The prisoner was kept in solitary. weary of European civilization, the painter Paul Gauguin famously abandoned France to become a solitary in the South Seas

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Four years of tedious meetings and solitary film sessions. — Paul Newberry, The Seattle Times, "Walk-ons are obscure backbone of Clemson, Bama powerhouses," 6 Jan. 2019 His drinking precipitously descends from country-club conviviality to solitary stupor, and the novel ends with his suicide by carbon-monoxide inhalation in his Cadillac, a clean, modern way to go. — Jamie James, WSJ, "‘John O’Hara: Four Novels of the 1930s’ Review: Big Fish in Small Towns," 3 Jan. 2019 And a lawsuit filed earlier this year alleged that Latino youths at the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center in Virginia were beaten while handcuffed and locked up for long periods in solitary confinement, left nude and shivering in concrete cells. — Garance Burke, The Seattle Times, "AP Investigation: Migrant kids held in mass shelters," 19 Dec. 2018 The two had routinely met once or twice a year after his conviction and their conversations typically lasted eight hours or more, with the two discussing legal issues and Bulger telling stories, relieved for the break from solitary confinement. — Zusha Elinson, WSJ, "Whitey Bulger Thought He Was Headed to Hospital Before Death, Lawyer Says," 9 Dec. 2018 Manafort remains in solitary confinement in a federal detention center in Alexandria, Virginia, waiting for a judge to set a sentencing date. — Kenneth P. Vogel, The Seattle Times, "Manafort tried to broker deal with Ecuador to hand Assange over to U.S.," 3 Dec. 2018 Group hikers logged an average of 135 minutes per hike compared to the 100 minutes logged by solitary hikers. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "The 2 Things That Will Help Motivate You to Be More Active, According to a New Strava Report," 28 Nov. 2018 Similarly, my first, pre-launch experience with Dark Souls was hampered by the lack of an online community to leave in-game hints or invade my solitary dungeon crawl. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Observations and lessons from two decades of writing about video games," 25 Nov. 2018 Many types of solitary wasps prey on specific cockroach species. — Rob Dunn, Discover Magazine, "Our Attempts to Eradicate Insects are Just Making them Resistant to Pesticides," 16 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

SOLITARY: INSIDE RED ONION STATE PRISON (2017) 10 p.m. on HBO. — Kathryn Shattuck, New York Times, "What’s on TV Monday: ‘Finding Dory’ and ‘Gender Revolution: A Journey With Katie Couric’," 6 Feb. 2017

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