Adjacent Words

Alone definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ALO'NE, a. [all and one.]
1. Single; solitary; without the presence of another; applied to a person or thing.
It is not good that man should be alone. Genesis 2.
[This adjective follows its noun.]
2. It is applied to two or more persons or things, when separate from others, in a place or condition by themselves; without company.
And when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. Mark 4.
3. Only.
Thou whose name alone is Jehovah. Psalms 83.
This sense at first appears to be adverbial, but really is not; whose name single, solitary, without another, is Jehovah.
To let alone is to suffer to rest; to forbear molesting or meddling with; to suffer to remain in its present state. Alone, in this phrase, is an adjective, the word to which it refers being omitted; let me alone; let them alone; let it alone; that is, suffer it to be unmolested, or to remain as it is, or let it remain by itself.
ALO'NE, adv. Separately; by itself.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: isolated from others; "could be alone in a crowded room"; "was alone with her thoughts"; "I want to be alone"
2: lacking companions or companionship; "he was alone when we met him"; "she is alone much of the time"; "the lone skier on the mountain"; "a lonely fisherman stood on a tuft of gravel"; "a lonely soul"; "a solitary traveler" [syn: alone, lone, lonely, solitary]
3: exclusive of anyone or anything else; "she alone believed him"; "cannot live by bread alone"; "I'll have this car and this car only" [syn: alone, only]
4: radically distinctive and without equal; "he is alone in the field of microbiology"; "this theory is altogether alone in its penetration of the problem"; "Bach was unique in his handling of counterpoint"; "craftsmen whose skill is unequaled"; "unparalleled athletic ability"; "a breakdown of law unparalleled in our history" [syn: alone, unique, unequaled, unequalled, unparalleled] adv
1: without any others being included or involved; "was entirely to blame"; "a school devoted entirely to the needs of problem children"; "he works for Mr. Smith exclusively"; "did it solely for money"; "the burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone"; "a privilege granted only to him" [syn: entirely, exclusively, solely, alone, only]
2: without anybody else or anything else; "the child stayed home alone"; "the pillar stood alone, supporting nothing"; "he flew solo" [syn: alone, solo, unaccompanied]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from al all + one one Date: 13th century 1. separated from others ; isolated 2. exclusive of anyone or anything else ; only <she alone knows why> 3. a. considered without reference to any other <the children alone would eat that much> b. incomparable, unique <alone among their contemporaries in this respect> • aloneness noun Synonyms: 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>. II. adverb Date: 13th century 1. solely, exclusively <the blame is his alone> 2. without aid or support <said he could do it alone>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & adv. --predic.adj. 1 a without others present (they wanted to be alone; the tree stood alone). b without others' help (succeeded alone). c lonely and wretched (felt alone). 2 (often foll. by in) standing by oneself in an opinion etc. (was alone in thinking this). --adv. only, exclusively (you alone can help me). Phrases and idioms: go it alone act by oneself without assistance. Derivatives: aloneness n. Etymology: ME f. ALL + ONE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alone A*lone", adv. Solely; simply; exclusively.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alone A*lone", a. [All + one. OE. al one all allone, AS. [=a]n one, alone. See All, One, Lone.] 1. Quite by one's self; apart from, or exclusive of, others; single; solitary; -- applied to a person or thing. Alone on a wide, wide sea. --Coleridge. It is not good that the man should be alone. --Gen. ii. 18. 2. Of or by itself; by themselves; without any thing more or any one else; without a sharer; only. Man shall not live by bread alone. --Luke iv. 4. The citizens alone should be at the expense. --Franklin. 3. Sole; only; exclusive. [R.] God, by whose alone power and conversation we all live, and move, and have our being. --Bentley. 4. Hence; Unique; rare; matchless. --Shak. Note: The adjective alone commonly follows its noun. To let or leave alone, to abstain from interfering with or molesting; to suffer to remain in its present state.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alone A*lone", a. [All + one. OE. al one all allone, AS. [=a]n one, alone. See All, One, Lone.] 1. Quite by one's self; apart from, or exclusive of, others; single; solitary; -- applied to a person or thing. Alone on a wide, wide sea. --Coleridge. It is not good that the man should be alone. --Gen. ii. 18. 2. Of or by itself; by themselves; without any thing more or any one else; without a sharer; only. Man shall not live by bread alone. --Luke iv. 4. The citizens alone should be at the expense. --Franklin. 3. Sole; only; exclusive. [R.] God, by whose alone power and conversation we all live, and move, and have our being. --Bentley. 4. Hence; Unique; rare; matchless. --Shak. Note: The adjective alone commonly follows its noun. To let or leave alone, to abstain from interfering with or molesting; to suffer to remain in its present state.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. When you are alone, you are not with any other people. There is nothing so fearful as to be alone in a combat situation... He was all alone in the middle of the hall. ADJ: v-link ADJ • Alone is also an adverb. She has lived alone in this house for almost five years now... ADV: ADV after v 2. If one person is alone with another person, or if two or more people are alone, they are together, without anyone else present. I couldn't imagine why he would want to be alone with me... My brother and I were alone with Vincent. ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ with n 3. If you say that you are alone or feel alone, you mean that nobody who is with you, or nobody at all, cares about you. Never in her life had she felt so alone, so abandoned... ADJ: v-link ADJ 4. You say that one person or thing alone does something when you are emphasizing that only one person or thing is involved. You alone should determine what is right for you... They were convicted on forensic evidence alone. ADV: n ADV [emphasis] 5. If you say that one person or thing alone is responsible for part of an amount, you are emphasizing the size of that part and the size of the total amount. The BBC alone is sending 300 technicians, directors and commentators... ADV: n ADV [emphasis] 6. If someone is alone in doing something, they are the only person doing it, and so are different from other people. Am I alone in thinking that this scandal should finish his career? = unique ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ in -ing/n • Alone is also an adverb. I alone was sane, I thought, in a world of crazy people. ADV: ADV prep, n ADV 7. When someone does something alone, they do it without help from other people. Bringing up a child alone should give you a sense of achievement... ADV: ADV after v 8. If you go it alone, you do something without any help from other people. (INFORMAL) I missed the stimulation of working with others when I tried to go it alone. PHRASE: V inflects 9. to leave someone or something alone: see leave let alone: see let

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Single, solitary, only, sole, lone, lonely, isolated, unaccompanied, by one's self, by itself, without company, without another, solus. 2. Of one's self, of one's own power, without help. II. ad. Singly, etc. See preceding adjective.

Moby Thesaurus

abandoned, absolute, alienated, all alone, aloof, apart, azygous, barely, but, by itself, celibate, companionless, deserted, desolate, detached, entirely, excellent, exclusively, first and last, friendless, good, homeless, impair, in solitude, in the singular, incomparable, independently, individually, inimitable, insular, isolate, isolated, just, kithless, lone, lonely, lonesome, matchless, merely, odd, once, one and only, one by one, only, only-begotten, out-of-the-way, particularly, peerless, per se, plainly, private, purely, remote, removed, retired, rootless, secluded, second to none, separate, separated, separately, severally, simply, simply and solely, single-handed, single-handedly, singly, singular, singularly, sole, solely, solitary, solo, superior, unabetted, unaccompanied, unaided, unassisted, unattended, unequaled, unescorted, unexampled, unexcelled, unique, unmatched, unpaired, unparalleled, unrepeatable, unrepeated, unrivaled, unseconded, unsupported, unsurpassed, withdrawn, without equal