solitary
Without any company
Solitary means alone or single.
A solitary figure walks unaccompanied.
A solitary example is the only one.
The word carries connotations of isolation—sometimes peaceful, sometimes bleak.
Solitary can describe someone who prefers being alone: He was a solitary man who rarely entertained.
In prisons, solitary refers to solitary confinement, isolation as punishment: They put him in solitary for a week.
Person choosing total seclusion
- lonerOne who avoids company
- recluseOne choosing isolation
- withdrawnEmotionally distant, disengaged
- secludedSet apart, private
antisocial · private · reserved · retiring · aloof · detached · standoffish · unsociable
Focused attention practice
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
mindfulness · soul-searching · self-examination · retreat · silence · stillness · prayer · monastic
Existing by itself
- singleOne in number
- unaccompaniedWithout others present
- individualOne separate human being
- self-reliantAble to provide independently
independent · unaided · singular · autonomous · unattended · companionless · partnerless · friendless
One in number
exclusive · individual · standalone · unmatched · unrepeated · once · isolated · rare
Complete separation from others
- cellBasic unit of life
- prisonConfinement for offenders
- lockupTemporary detention facility
- incarcerationConfinement in jail
segregation · detention · supermax · punishment · disciplinary · correctional · penitentiary · jail
Set apart, private
- isolatedSeparated from others
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- uninhabitedHaving no occupants
- farawayAt great distance
hidden · inaccessible · off-grid · outpost · backcountry · hinterland · unfrequented · godforsaken
hermit
Person choosing total seclusion
secluded · antisocial · private · reserved · retiring · aloof · detached · standoffish · unsociable · introverted
meditation
Focused attention practice
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
rumination · mindfulness · soul-searching · self-examination · retreat · silence · stillness · prayer · monastic · ascetic
lone
Existing by itself
- singleOne in number
- unaccompaniedWithout others present
- individualOne separate human being
self-reliant · independent · unaided · singular · autonomous · unattended · companionless · partnerless · friendless · mateless
single
One in number
singular · exclusive · individual · standalone · unmatched · unrepeated · once · isolated · rare · exceptional
isolation
Complete separation from others
incarceration · segregation · detention · supermax · punishment · disciplinary · correctional · penitentiary · jail · custody
secluded
Set apart, private
- isolatedSeparated from others
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- uninhabitedHaving no occupants
faraway · hidden · inaccessible · off-grid · outpost · backcountry · hinterland · unfrequented · godforsaken · out-of-the-way
- prisoncell block, inmate, jail, prison, prisoner
- lifestylessimple living, city life, family life, minimalism, rural life
- solitudealone, isolation, aloneness, seclusion, lone
- asceticsascetic, ascetics, hermit, hermits, recluse
- penal historyprison, prisons, gaols, jails, penitentiaries
- prison classificationsmaximum security, medium security, minimum security, supermax, level one
solitaryaccompanied
Went along with someone
together · social · communal · gregarious · collective
- solitary confinementIsolated imprisonment in cell
- solitary naturePreference for being alone
- solitary lifeExistence lived alone
- spider solitaireSolo card game, arachnid-named
- solitaire ringBand with single mounted gem
- solitary cellIsolated prison chamber
solitaire, solitaries, solitariness, solitarily, solitaires, solitary confinement