lone

American  

[lohn] / loʊn /

adjective

1. being alone; without company or accompaniment; solitary; unaccompanied.

   a lone traveler.

2. standing by itself or apart; isolated.

   a lone house in the valley.

   Synonyms:

   secluded, separate

3. sole; single; only.

   That company constitutes our lone competitor in the field.

4. unfrequented.

5. without companionship; lonesome; lonely.

6. unmarried or widowed.

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lone British  

/ ləʊn /

adjective

1. unaccompanied; solitary

2. single or isolated

   a lone house

3. a literary word for lonely

4. unmarried or widowed

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Related Words

See alone.

Other Word Forms

• loneness noun

Etymology

Origin of lone

1325–75; Middle English; aphetic var of alone, used attributively

Example Sentences

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the lone dissenter, frames Colorado’s law as prohibiting merely “a dangerous therapy modality that, incidentally, involves provider speech.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Ten of the S&P 500’s 11 sectors were down 8.3% on average in March, with the energy sector being the lone exception.

From The Wall Street Journal

In many places she chooses to undercut the image of the lone genius, sovereign over his book-lined study and carefully marshaled pens.

From The Wall Street Journal

The world of prepping can be a very secretive place, ranging from "discreetly storing supplies to full 'lone wolf' isolation, much of the time to avoid stigma and labelling" with other focus on community building.

From BBC

Sam Rockwell plays a lone worker nearing the end of a three-year stint on a lunar base, his days shaped by routine and the steady voice of the station’s AI.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lonely
• sole
• solitary