solitary

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/ UK /ˈsɒlɪt(ə)ɹi/ See IPA manual

Freq #7911

Meanings

1

adj
Alone; done or existing without others.

He enjoyed solitary walks along the empty beach at dawn.
2

adj
Single; being the only one.

A solitary light burned in the window of the old house.
3

noun
The punishment of keeping a prisoner alone, away from all others.

The inmate was held in solitary for six months.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · alone; done or existing... lonely solo

3 noun · the punishment of keeping a... solitary confinement

Word family

Forms solitaries

Derived forms nonsolitarysemisolitarysolitarily solitarinesssolitonunsolitary

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

solitary confinement
the imprisonment of a person separately from other prisoners

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire.

solitarie Middle English sōlitārius Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# solitary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɒlɪt(ə)ɹi/
**Frequency rank:** 7911

## Meanings
1. Alone; done or existing without others.
2. Single; being the only one.
3. The punishment of keeping a prisoner alone, away from all others.

## Examples
- He enjoyed solitary walks along the empty beach at dawn.
- A solitary light burned in the window of the old house.
- The inmate was held in solitary for six months.

## Derived Forms
- nonsolitary
- semisolitary
- solitarily
- solitariness
- soliton
- unsolitary

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: solitarie
- Root: sōlitārius

## Etymology
From Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire.

## AI Etymology
Solitary is from Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire. Important recorded forms include solitarie (Middle English) and sōlitārius (Latin). Current senses include alone; done or existing without others, single; being the only one, and the punishment of keeping a prisoner alone, away from all others. The wider family includes derived forms such as nonsolitary, semisolitary, solitarily, solitariness, and soliton.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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