'Solitary' definitions:
Definition of 'solitary'
From: WordNet
adjective
Characterized by or preferring solitude; "a lone wolf"; "a lonely existence"; "a man of a solitary disposition"; "a solitary walk" [syn: lone(a), lonely(a), solitary]
adjective
Of plants and animals; not growing or living in groups or colonies; "solitary bees" [syn: nongregarious, nonsocial, solitary]
adjective
Lacking companions or companionship; "he was alone when we met him"; "she is alone much of the time"; "the lone skier on the mountain"; "a lonely fisherman stood on a tuft of gravel"; "a lonely soul"; "a solitary traveler" [syn: alone(p), lone(a), lonely(a), solitary]
adjective
Being the only one; single and isolated from others; "the lone doctor in the entire county"; "a lonesome pine"; "an only child"; "the sole heir"; "the sole example"; "a solitary instance of cowardice"; "a solitary speck in the sky" [syn: lone(a), lonesome(a), only(a), sole(a), solitary(a)]
adjective
Devoid of creatures; "a lonely crossroads"; "a solitary retreat"; "a trail leading to an unfrequented lake" [syn: lonely, solitary, unfrequented]
noun
Confinement of a prisoner in isolation from other prisoners; "he was held in solitary" [syn: solitary confinement, solitary]
noun
Definition of 'Solitary'
From: GCIDE
- Solitary \Sol"i*ta*ry\, a. [L. solitarius, fr. solus alone: cf. F. solitaire. See Sole, a., and cf. Solitaire.]
- 1. Living or being by one's self; having no companion present; being without associates; single; alone; lonely. [1913 Webster]
- Those rare and solitary, these in flocks. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- Hie home unto my chamber, Where thou shalt find me, sad and solitary. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Performed, passed, or endured alone; as, a solitary journey; a solitary life. [1913 Webster]
- Satan . . . explores his solitary flight. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Not much visited or frequented; remote from society; retired; lonely; as, a solitary residence or place. [1913 Webster]
- 4. Not inhabited or occupied; without signs of inhabitants or occupation; desolate; deserted; silent; still; hence, gloomy; dismal; as, the solitary desert. [1913 Webster]
- How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people. --Lam. i. 1. [1913 Webster]
- Let that night be solitary; let no joyful voice come therein. --Job iii. 7. [1913 Webster]
- 5. Single; individual; sole; as, a solitary instance of vengeance; a solitary example. [1913 Webster]
- 6. (Bot.) Not associated with others of the same kind. [1913 Webster]
- Solitary ant (Zool.), any solitary hymenopterous insect of the family Mutillidae. The female of these insects is destitute of wings and has a powerful sting. The male is winged and resembles a wasp. Called also spider ant.
- Solitary bee (Zool.), any species of bee which does not form communities.
- Solitary sandpiper (Zool.), an American tattler ({Totanus solitarius}).
- Solitary snipe (Zool.), the great snipe. [Prov. Eng.]
- Solitary thrush (Zool.) the starling. [Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Solitary'
From: GCIDE
- Solitary \Sol"i*ta*ry\, n. One who lives alone, or in solitude; an anchoret; a hermit; a recluse. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'solitary'
From: GCIDE
- Solitaire \Sol`i*taire"\, n. [F. See Solitary.]
- 1. A person who lives in solitude; a recluse; a hermit. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
- 2. A single diamond in a setting; also, sometimes, a precious stone of any kind set alone. [1913 Webster]
- Diamond solitaires blazing on his breast and wrists. --Mrs. R. H. Davis. [1913 Webster]
- 3. A game which one person can play alone; -- applied to many games of cards, etc.; also, to a game played on a board with pegs or balls, in which the object is, beginning with all the places filled except one, to remove all but one of the pieces by "jumping," as in draughts. [1913 Webster]
- 4. (Zool.) (a) A large extinct bird (Pezophaps solitaria) which formerly inhabited the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigeuz. It was larger and taller than the wild turkey. Its wings were too small for flight. Called also solitary. (b) Any species of American thrushlike birds of the genus Myadestes. They are noted their sweet songs and retiring habits. Called also fly-catching thrush. A West Indian species (Myadestes sibilans) is called the invisible bird. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'solitary'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- a certain,
- abandoned,
- alien,
- alienated,
- all alone,
- alone,
- aloof,
- an,
- anchoress,
- anchorite,
- any,
- any one,
- apart,
- ascetic,
- atomic,
- bedridden invalid,
- case,
- character,
- cloistered,
- cloistered monk,
- closet cynic,
- companionless,
- crackpot,
- crank,
- desert fathers,
- desert saints,
- deserted,
- desolate,
- detached,
- Diogenes,
- distant,
- eccentric,
- either,
- eremite,
- eremitic,
- exclusive,
- fanatic,
- forsaken,
- friendless,
- hermit,
- hermitess,
- hermitical,
- Hieronymian,
- Hieronymite,
- hobo,
- homebody,
- homeless,
- in solitude,
- individual,
- indivisible,
- insociable,
- insular,
- integral,
- invalid,
- irreducible,
- isolated,
- isolationist,
- kithless,
- kook,
- lone,
- lone wolf,
- lonely,
- loner,
- lonesome,
- marabout,
- maverick,
- meshuggenah,
- misanthropic,
- monadic,
- monistic,
- natural,
- nonconformist,
- nut,
- odd fellow,
- oddball,
- oddity,
- offish,
- one,
- only,
- original,
- out-of-the-way,
- outcast,
- outsider,
- pariah,
- particular,
- pillar saint,
- pillarist,
- queer duck,
- queer fish,
- queer specimen,
- rara avis,
- recluse,
- reclusive,
- remote,
- removed,
- reserved,
- rootless,
- screwball,
- secluded,
- seclusionist,
- separate,
- separated,
- shut-in,
- simple,
- single,
- single-handed,
- singular,
- sole,
- solid,
- solitaire,
- solitudinarian,
- solo,
- standoffish,
- stay-at-home,
- stylite,
- Timon of Athens,
- tramp,
- type,
- unabetted,
- unaccompanied,
- unaided,
- unanalyzable,
- unapproachable,
- unassisted,
- unattended,
- uncompanionable,
- uncouth,
- undivided,
- unescorted,
- unexampled,
- unfrequented,
- uniform,
- unique,
- unitary,
- unrepeatable,
- unseconded,
- unsocial,
- unsupported,
- whole,
- withdrawn,
- zealot