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alone
[ uh-lohn ]
adjective
- separate, apart, or isolated from others:
I want to be alone.
Synonyms: , , ,
- to the exclusion of all others or all else:
One cannot live by bread alone.
He is alone among his peers in devotion to duty.
adverb
- solitarily; solo:
She prefers to live alone.
You alone hold the key to your happiness.
- without aid or help:
The baby let go of the side of the crib and stood alone.
alone
/ əˈəʊ /
adjective
- apart from another or others; solitary
- without anyone or anything else
one man alone could lift it
- without equal; unique
he stands alone in the field of microbiology
- to the exclusion of others; only
she alone believed him
- leave alone or leave be or let alone or let beto refrain from annoying or interfering with
- leave well alone or leave well enough alone or let well alone or let well enough aloneto refrain from interfering with something that is satisfactory
- let alonemuch less; not to mention
he can't afford beer, let alone whisky
Usage Note
Other Word Forms
- ·DzԱ·Ա noun
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of alone1
Idioms and Phrases
- leave / let well enough alone, to be satisfied with the existing situation; refrain from attempting to change conditions:
Marriages are often destroyed by relatives who will not let well enough alone.
- leave alone. leave 1( def 18 ).
- let alone. let 1( def 16 ).
More idioms and phrases containing alone
see go it alone ; leave someone alone ; leave well enough alone ; let alone .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
"She was so lost, and not really present… she just felt so alone yet she was surrounded by people," she added.
Nor is he alone in his criticism of Powell, who infamously initially dismissed post-pandemic price inflation as "transitory" and has been faulted for being too focused on backward-looking data.
When Anthony's parents had a likely ill-advised press conference last week, asking people to leave them alone, Jeff Metcalf showed up and had to be escorted out by police.
"It's shocking that not a single water executive faced a fine, let alone a prison sentence, despite widespread law-breaking," he told the BBC's Today programme.
Thematically, that was where it had to go: him alone and alive.
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Related Words
More About Alone
is a basic definition ofalone?
Alone is an adjective that describes someone or something as being in isolation or as being unique. Alone is used as an adverb to mean something was done by a single individual. Alone has a few additional senses as an adjective and an adverb.
If you are alone, you are the only human being present in a place. Generally, alone is neither good nor bad. If it’s used in the phrase “all alone” though, it implies a sense of sadness or loneliness. Alone always describes a situation where there is exactly one thing existing apart from all others.
Real-life examples: Some animals, such as tigers, like to be alone and spend most of their lives away from others of their species. You may want to be alone in your room, away from other people. An actor might be alone on stage when giving a monologue.
Used in a sentence: I was alone in the dark, spooky room.
Alone also describes something as being unique or being the only example of something.
Real-life examples: A championship is won by one team alone. You alone are the only one who knows how you feel.
Used in a sentence: I always feel like I am alone in my love of smelly cheese.
Alone is also used as an adverb to mean something was done by a single individual.
Real-life examples: A widow might live alone in her house after her husband dies. A solo is when a singer or musician performs alone. Most games cannot be played alone and need at least a second player.
Used in a sentence: She likes to hike alone in the woods.
Where doesalone come from?
The first records of alone come from the later 1200s. It comes from the Middle English al one, meaning “exclusively one” or “entirely one.”
Did you know ... ?
are some other forms related to alone?
- aloneness (noun)
are some synonyms for alone?
are some words that share a root or word element with alone?
are some words that often get used in discussing alone?
How isDzԱused in real life?
Alone is a very common word that most often describes something that involves one person or thing.
Enjoying being alone could easily become a habit of mine. Sometimes I just want to be alone with my thoughts and music.
— Haven Raven (@ARestlessHaven)
If I lived alone I would walk around naked all the time
— Matthew Morales (@mattkillsswagg)
We are committed to doing everything we can at the state level to fight violent crime, but we can’t do it alone. The only way we can truly make a difference is by working together.
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO)
Try usingalone!
True or False?
If a person is alone in a room, no one else is in the room with them.
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.
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