solitary

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. an activity that you do by yourself without other people.

adj. performed, passed, or endured without companions.

“Reading is usually a solitary activity that requires peace and quiet.”

“The researcher spent three solitary months in the Arctic, documenting the migration patterns of local wildlife without any human contact.”

C1 · Advanced Formal

adj. the only one of something in a particular place.

adj. being the sole example or individual of a type in a given context; single.

“A solitary light was burning in the window of the old house.”

“The only evidence of the crime was a solitary footprint left in the damp soil near the garden gate.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Literary

adj. a place that is far away from where people live and is very quiet.

adj. remote from settlements or society; unfrequented and secluded.

“They found a solitary beach where they could relax away from the tourists.”

“The cabin sat in a solitary valley, miles from the nearest paved road or telephone line.”

C1 · Advanced Science Technical

adj. living or growing alone rather than in a group or colony.

adj. not associated with others of the same kind; living or growing in isolation rather than in colonies or social groups.

“Tigers are solitary hunters, unlike lions which live in groups.”

“The botanist identified a solitary flower growing from the rock face, noting that this species rarely clusters with others.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Formal · Literary

n. someone who lives alone and avoids other people.

n. a person who lives in solitude, such as a hermit or recluse.

Español:solitario

“The old solitary lived in a small hut on the edge of the cliff.”

“Historical records suggest the man was a religious solitary who had taken a vow of silence and withdrawn from the village entirely.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Law Informal

n. a punishment in prison where a person is kept alone in a cell.

n. a shortened form of 'solitary confinement'; the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as a punishment.

“The prisoner was put in solitary for three days after the fight.”

“The warden threatened the inmates with a week in solitary if they refused to comply with the new security protocols.”