Synonyms of solitude

solitude

noun

ˈsä-lə-ˌtüd 

as in privacy

the state of being alone or kept apart from others

sought the kind of solitude where his thoughts would be his only companions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• privacy
• isolation
• loneliness
• aloneness
• seclusion
• segregation
• solitariness
• separateness
• insulation
• confinement
• sequestration
• retirement
• internment
• secludedness
• lonesomeness
• vacuum
• withdrawal
• quarantine
• incarceration
• ghettoization

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• society
• companionship
• company
• fellowship
• camaraderie
• comradeship

Synonym Chooser

How is the word solitude distinct from other similar nouns?

The words isolation and seclusion are common synonyms of solitude. While all three words 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.

a few quiet hours of solitude

When is it sensible to use isolation instead of solitude?

The words isolation and solitude are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, isolation stresses detachment from others often involuntarily.

the isolation of the village in winter

When can seclusion be used instead of solitude?

The words seclusion and solitude can be used in similar contexts, but seclusion suggests a shutting away or keeping apart from others often connoting deliberate withdrawal from the world or retirement to a quiet life.

lived in pastoral seclusion

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of solitude

Billy’s main creative outlet in her years of solitude has been visual art, and her work—abstractions dominated by the geometric forms of Little Death’s air-vent face—seems like a closed circuit of self-therapy. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 31 July 2026

The park also covers more than 3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, rainforests, coastlines, and fjords, giving you plenty of space to explore and find a little solitude. — Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 30 July 2026

As his year of solitude passes, his grip on reality blurs the line between the living and non-living. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 23 July 2026

Gibbard spent two decades in solitude working for the Forest Service and now finds human interaction overwhelming. — Peter White, Deadline, 22 July 2026