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

The filmmaking duo and their producer and Gholamreza Mousavi have been in the crosshairs of Iran’s authoritarian Islamic Republic regime since early 2023 over the heartwarming drama about an elderly widow who reconnects with life’s small pleasures in the face of solitude. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025

The stigma of solitude This anxiety stems in large part from our culture’s deficit view of solitude. —Virginia Thomas, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025

From tech to energy, these careers offer six-figure potential and solitude. —Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

In an interview with Variety, Majors responded to a comment about Maddox’s crushing solitude and the on-screen violence by asking where the reporter sees violence in the film. —Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025