alone

1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈlōn How to pronounce alone (audio)
Synonyms of alonenext
1
: separated from others : isolated
was alone in the office
2
: exclusive of anyone or anything else : only
She alone knows what happened.
3
a
: considered without reference to any other
The children alone would eat that much.
b
: incomparable, unique
They are alone among their contemporaries in this respect.
aloneness
ə-ˈlōn-nəs How to pronounce alone (audio)
noun

alone

2 of 2

adverb

1
: solely, exclusively
The blame is mine alone.
2
: without aid or support
He said he could do it alone.

Synonyms

Adjective

Adverb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for alone

alone, solitary, lonely, lonesome, lone, forlorn, desolate mean isolated from others.

alone stresses the objective fact of being by oneself with slighter notion of emotional involvement than most of the remaining terms.

everyone needs to be alone sometimes

solitary may indicate isolation as a chosen course

glorying in the calm of her solitary life

but more often it suggests sadness and a sense of loss.

left solitary by the death of his wife

lonely adds to solitary a suggestion of longing for companionship.

felt lonely and forsaken

lonesome heightens the suggestion of sadness and poignancy.

an only child often leads a lonesome life

lone may replace lonely or lonesome but typically is as objective as alone.

a lone robin pecking at the lawn

forlorn stresses dejection, woe, and listlessness at separation from one held dear.

a forlorn lost child

desolate implies inconsolable grief at loss or bereavement.

desolate after her brother's death

Examples of alone in a Sentence

Adjective This wine goes well with food, but is also very good alone. I got him alone and asked him what had really happened. She lived alone for many years. She doesn't mind being alone because she never feels lonely. He was alone with his thoughts. He felt very alone when he went away to school. Adverb The police believe the criminal acted alone. The price alone is enough to discourage people. The special effects alone make the movie worth seeing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The men were alone in the room, though other courthouse employees were in the building at the time. —Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 22 Nov. 2024 Japan is not alone in its bid to diversify its critical commodities. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Adverb
Last week, the day after Bluesky touted its 15 million total users, Threads boss Adam Mosseri shared that Threads had already surpassed 15 million signups for November alone. —Jay Peters, The Verge, 23 Nov. 2024 The proof is in the (figgy) pudding — more than 2,000 shoppers have bought this tree in the last month alone, and more than 2,500 customers have given it a five-star rating. —Melissa Epifano, People.com, 23 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for alone 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English al-one, alone, allone, from al, all all entry 2 + one one entry 1

Adverb

Middle English, derivative of al-one, alone alone entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of alone was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing alone

Dictionary Entries Near alone

Alombrado

alone

alonely

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Alone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alone. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

alone

1 of 2 adjective
ə-ˈlōn How to pronounce alone (audio)
1
: separated from others
alone in her room
2
: not including anyone or anything else
money alone is not enough

alone

2 of 2 adverb
1
: solely sense 1
the proof rests on that statement alone
2
: without company, aid, or support
did it alone

More from Merriam-Webster on alone

Nglish: Translation of alone for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of alone for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...