lone

[lohn]

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.

lone

/ ləʊn /

adjective

1. unaccompanied; solitary

2. single or isolated

   a lone house

3. a literary word for lonely

4. unmarried or widowed

Other Word Forms

• loneness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lone¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lone¹

C14: from the mistaken division of _alone into a lone

Synonym Study

See alone.

Example Sentences

As Orwell’s George Bowling says, the feeling of being a lone prophet is an illusion.

From Salon

The Padres, meanwhile, will play 13 of their next 16 games against opponents with losing records, the lone exception being the 68-67 Cincinnati Reds.

From Los Angeles Times

Malcolm said that Cardi B was the lone patient visiting the office that day as it had been closed for her privacy.

From Los Angeles Times

“And when you have the lone survivor giving it to you like that, you’re like, ‘OK, the stakes.

From Los Angeles Times

State courts in Maryland have already blocked one Democratic map that would have eliminated the state’s lone red seat, creating an 8-0 wipeout.

From Salon

Related Words

• lonely 
• sole 
• solitary