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1. Being apart from others; solitary.
2. Being without anyone or anything else; only.
3. Considered separately from all others of the same class.
4. Being without equal; unique.

1. Without others: sang alone while the choir listened.
2. Without help: carried the suitcases alone.
3. Exclusively; only: The burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone.

[Middle English : al, all; see all + one, one; see one.]

SYNONYMS   alone, lonely, lonesome, solitary. These adjectives describe lack of companionship. Alone emphasizes being apart from others but does not necessarily imply unhappiness: "I am never less alone, than when I am alone" (James Howell). Lonely often connotes painful awareness of being alone: "'No doubt they are dead,' she thought, and felt . . . sadder and . . . lonelier for the thought" (Ouida). Lonesome emphasizes a plaintive desire for companionship: "You must keep up your spirits, mother, and not be lonesome because I'm not at home" (Charles Dickens). Solitary often stresses physical isolation that is self-imposed: I thoroughly enjoyed my solitary dinner.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.