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loner

American  
[loh-ner] / ˈloʊ nər /

noun

  1. a person who is or prefers to be alone, especially one who avoids the company of others.

    He was always a loner—no one knew him well.
loner British  
/ ˈləʊnə /

noun

  1. informal a person or animal who avoids the company of others or prefers to be alone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of loner

First recorded in 1945–50; lone + -er 1

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.

It tells the story of a lonely woman who uses a magical spray to improve her life and finds romance with a fellow loner.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

Since I’m a loner, I don’t have any really close friends, either.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

Through the first two films in Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s planned trilogy, the audience comes to know him as a reserved loner who prizes calm.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

In the before times, it appears he was a self-sufficient loner.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025

My mother said he was like that, a loner, a man who did not like to show his feelings.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

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.