solitude

noun sol·i·tude \ ˈsä-lə-ˌtüd , -ˌtyüd \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: solitude in a Sentence

Definition of solitude

1 : the quality or state of being alone or remote from society : seclusion

2 : a lonely place (such as a desert)

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Examples of solitude in a Sentence

She wished to work on her novel in solitude.
He enjoyed the peace and solitude of the woods.

Recent Examples of solitude from the Web

And some children — as many as 22 of them separated from their families at the U.S. border — go on field trips to hopefully take their minds off their solitude for an afternoon.

— elizabeth finny and david smiley, miamiherald, "A 'tender age' shelter for separated children exposes a 'gut-wrenching' reality in Miami," 26 June 2018
There are long cart rides between holes on the sprawling property, which add to your sense of solitude and serenity.

— Detroit Free Press, "Ranking Michigan's top 10 vacation golf courses," 21 June 2018
If Circe is tested by her new island solitude, so is the narrator.

— jenni laidman, chicagotribune.com, "A dazzlingly narrated edition of 'The Overstory' by Richard Powers leads the audiobooks roundup," 7 May 2018
Just as the Galapagos teems with unique finches and tortoises, so do the world’s Twilight Zones function as islands of the deep, churning out endemic species by virtue of their solitude.

— ben goldfarb, Smithsonian, "Illuminating the Ocean’s Teeming Twilight Zone, Before It Disappears," 14 Apr. 2018
The album finds the songwriter contemplating anxiety and solitude, life and death, usually in about three-and-a-half minutes.

— andrew dansby, Houston Chronicle, "Caroline Rose goes it alone as singer-songwriter rolls into Houston," 21 June 2018
That long stretch of solitude is set to end later this year.

— NBC News, "China plans historic mission to the moon's 'dark' side," 15 June 2018
Never has single flute note so beautifully conveyed the crushing weight of solitude.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Karina Canellakis at Curtis Institute stuns with precision in bold selection," 30 Apr. 2018
But the years of solitude didn't leave him unscathed.

— maya dukmasova, Chicago Reader, "Archive Dive / Crime / News Life inside a supermax prison," 25 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of solitude

Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin solitudin-, solitudo, from solus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

solitude Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of solitude

solitude, isolation, seclusion mean the state of one who is alone. solitude may imply a condition of being apart from all human beings or of being cut off by wish or circumstances from one's usual associates.