# alone

/əˈɫoʊn/ (US) · /ɐlˈəʊn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/alone
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. solitary

adjective · CEFR A2

being by yourself, without any other people around.

For teachers: being without companions or other people; used predicatively after a verb like 'be' or 'feel'.

- She likes being alone in the house because it is very quiet.
- After the guests departed, he finally felt alone in the vast apartment, enjoying the sudden silence of the evening.

Usage: Typically follows a linking verb; it is rarely used before a noun.

### 2. isolated in experience

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling that no one else understands you or shares your situation.

For teachers: lacking peers or others who share one's specific circumstances, beliefs, or experiences.

- You are not alone in your struggle; many people feel the same way.
- The researcher felt alone in her convictions until the latest data provided the evidence she needed to convince the board.

### 3. without help

adverb · CEFR B1

doing something without any help from other people.

For teachers: performing an action without assistance or external intervention.

- He managed to fix the broken bicycle alone after watching a video.
- The young entrepreneur built the entire software architecture alone, refusing to take on partners until the product was launched.

### 4. only

adverb · CEFR B2

used to show that you are talking about just one person or thing and nothing else.

For teachers: a focus adverb used to exclude all others except the person or thing mentioned.

- The price of the car alone is high, not including the insurance.
- The sheer scale of the project alone was enough to intimidate the most experienced engineers on the team.

Usage: Usually placed immediately after the noun or pronoun it modifies.

## Examples

- I like to spend time alone in the morning.
- She felt peaceful being alone in the house after a long day at the office.
- While some find the prospect of traveling alone daunting, others view it as the ultimate expression of independence and a chance for profound self-reflection.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.