solitary

[sol-i-ter-ee] /ˈsɒl ɪˌtɛr i/
adjective
1.
alone; without companions; unattended:
a solitary passer-by.
2.
living alone; avoiding the society of others:
a solitary existence.
3.
by itself; alone:
one solitary house.
4.
characterized by the absence of companions:
a solitary journey.
5.
done without assistance or accompaniment; done in solitude:
solitary chores.
6.
being the only one:
a solitary exception.
7.
characterized by solitude, as a place; unfrequented, secluded, or lonely:
a solitary cabin in the woods.
8.
Zoology. living habitually alone or in pairs, as certain wasps.
Compare social (def 11).
noun, plural solitaries.
9.
a person who lives alone or in solitude, or avoids the society of others.
10.
a person who lives in solitude from religious motives.
11.
solitary confinement.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English < Latin sōlitārius alone, by itself, solitary, equivalent to sōlit(ās) solitude (sōl(us) sole1 + -itās -ity) + -ārius -ary
Related forms
solitarily, adverb
solitariness, noun
unsolitary, adjective
Synonyms
1. lone. 7. isolated, retired, sequestered, remote. 9, 10. hermit, recluse. 10. eremite.
Examples from the web for solitary
  • In short, there was never a single, solitary finding that offered evidence of a lack of accuracy in the science being done.
  • We did a post on how to build a bee box for solitary nesting bees earlier this week.
  • Fossil collecting typically is a pretty solitary exercise.
  • He expected odious solitary scavengers but instead found sophisticated hunters living in complex clans.
  • Wilder wrote frequently to friends and family, ruminating on literature, theater and his solitary life.
  • It is a solitary state, and hence cannot in itself account for the whole of the reported experience.
  • Today, of course, his solitary obsession has become a national park drawing half a million visitors a year.
  • Old males are solitary, more prone to predation and scavenging, hence the rarity of specimens.
  • On one of her solitary girlhood walks, she once found herself accompanied by a lightning ball.
  • It looks over a green belt of profuse tropical vegetation intersected by a solitary railway line.
British Dictionary definitions for solitary

solitary

/ˈsɒlɪtərɪ; -trɪ/
adjective
1.
following or enjoying a life of solitude: a solitary disposition
2.
experienced or performed alone: a solitary walk
3.
(of a place) unfrequented
4.
(prenominal) single; sole: a solitary speck in the sky
5.
having few companions; lonely
6.
(of animals) not living in organized colonies or large groups: solitary bees, a solitary elephant Compare social (sense 7), gregarious (sense 2)
7.
(of flowers) growing singly
noun (pl) -taries
8.
a person who lives in seclusion; hermit; recluse
9.
(informal) short for solitary confinement
Derived Forms
solitarily, adverb
solitariness, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Latin sōlitārius, from sōlussole1
Word Origin and History for solitary
adj.

mid-14c., "alone, living alone," from Old French solitaire, from Latin solitarius "alone, lonely, isolated," from solitas "loneliness, solitude," from solus "alone" (see sole (adj.)). Meaning "single, sole, only" is from 1742. Related: Solitarily; solitariness. As a noun from late 14c.; from 1854 as short for solitary confinement (that phrase recorded from 1817).