alone

[uh-lohn] /əˈloʊn/
adjective, (used predicatively)
1.
separate, apart, or isolated from others:
I want to be alone.
2.
to the exclusion of all others or all else:
One cannot live by bread alone.
3.
unique; unequaled; unexcelled:
He is alone among his peers in devotion to duty.
adverb
4.
solitarily; solely:
She prefers to live alone.
5.
only; exclusively.
6.
without aid or help:
The baby let go of the side of the crib and stood alone.
Idioms
7.
leave alone,
  1. to allow (someone) to be by himself or herself:
    Leave him alone—he wants to rest.
  2. to refrain from annoying or interfering with:
    The youngsters wouldn't leave the dog alone, and he finally turned on them.
8.
let alone,
  1. to refrain from annoying or interfering with.
  2. not to mention:
    He was too tired to walk, let alone run.
9.
let well enough alone, to be satisfied with the existing situation; refrain from attempting to change conditions:
Marriages are often destroyed by relatives who will not let well enough alone.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English al one all (wholly) one
Related forms
aloneness, noun
Synonyms
1. single, solitary; unaccompanied, unattended. Alone, lone, lonely, lonesome all imply being without companionship or association. Alone is colorless unless reinforced by all; it then suggests solitariness or desolation: alone in the house; all alone on an island. Lone is somewhat poetic or is intended humorously: a lone sentinel. Lonely implies a sad or disquieting feeling of isolation. Lonesome connotes emotion, a longing for companionship.
Antonyms
1. accompanied.
Usage note
7, 8. See leave1.
Examples from the web for let alone
  • No one as a result of those letters was even frightened, let alone suffering any great calamity.
  • And yet they must not be encouraged by being let alone.
  • Them she lived with would have killed her for a hat-pin, let alone a hat.
  • Yet modern readers barely have time to read their e-mail, let alone tackle a million word masterpiece.
  • They destroy there homes when they get over populated and there is not enough feed for them let alone cattle or sheep.
  • Yet there's little or nothing in the way of science related art, let alone paleontology.
  • It doesn't even say there was a reversal, let alone what caused it.
  • It's impossible to hear the wildlife let alone photograph it when kids are running the trails whooping it up.
  • It takes confidence even to revive this genre nowadays, let alone to invest it with anything new.
  • We don't know what questions to ask, let alone how to answer them.
British Dictionary definitions for let alone

alone

/əˈləʊn/
adjective, adverb (postpositive)
1.
apart from another or others; solitary
2.
without anyone or anything else: one man alone could lift it
3.
without equal; unique: he stands alone in the field of microbiology
4.
to the exclusion of others; only: she alone believed him
5.
leave alone, leave be, let alone, let be, to refrain from annoying or interfering with
6.
leave well alone, leave well enough alone, let well alone, let well enough alone, to refrain from interfering with something that is satisfactory
7.
let alone, much less; not to mention: he can't afford beer, let alone whisky
Word Origin
Old English al one, literally: all (entirely) one
Word Origin and History for let alone

alone

adj., adv.

c.1300 contraction of all ane, from Old English all ana "unaccompanied, all by oneself," from all "all, wholly" (see all) + an "one" (see one). Similar compounds are found in German (allein) and Dutch (alleen).

Slang definitions & phrases for let alone

alone

Related Terms

go it alone


Idioms and Phrases with let alone

let alone

.
See leave someone alone
.
Not to mention, as in We have no room for another house guest, let alone an entire family. [ c. 1800 ]

alone

see: