solitude
Americannoun
-
the state of being or living alone; seclusion.
to enjoy one's solitude.
- Synonyms:
- privacy, retirement
-
remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity.
the solitude of the mountains.
- Synonyms:
- loneliness
-
a lonely, unfrequented place.
a solitude in the mountains.
- Synonyms:
- wilderness, desert
noun
-
the state of being solitary or secluded
-
poetic a solitary place
Related Words
Solitude, isolation refer to a state of being or living alone. Solitude emphasizes the quality of being or feeling lonely and deserted: to live in solitude. Isolation may mean merely a detachment and separation from others: to be put in isolation with an infectious disease.
Other Word Forms
- solitudinous adjective
Etymology
Origin of solitude
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin sōlitūdō. See soli- 1, -tude
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During moments of solitude, he says he feels the presence and wisdom of those who came before him.
From Los Angeles Times
In tightly controlled Russia, her life is defined by solitude.
From Barron's
Now I would give anything for just five minutes of solitude in my half of the room.
From Literature
Big Sur’s South Coast highway closure creates a rare window of solitude: empty beaches, dramatic cliffs and nearly empty trails for six months.
From Los Angeles Times
As he wrote to a neighbor, “I am alone, all alone in the Senate, in Congress, and almost in the United States. . . . In this solitude I must stand or fall.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
