lone

adjective

ˈlōn 

1

a

: having no company : solitary

b

: preferring solitude

2

: only, sole

3

: situated by itself : isolated

loneness

ˈlōn-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of lone

• only
• one
• sole
• solitary

Choose the Right Synonym for lone

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

Examples of lone in a Sentence

the lone ripe apple in the entire bag

just one lone cow in the middle of the field

Recent Examples on the Web

Baldwin had a two-run single off Athletics starter Luis Severino (0-1) in the second and added a two-run double in the fourth to give Sale (2-0) some breathing room after Shea Langeliers hit his fifth homer of the season — the lone base-runner allowed by the Atlanta left-hander. —CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026

Here, a lone DCF employee has been empowered to decide the fate of elders removed from their homes. —Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026

All three of Liverpool’s draws owed much to Olsson, who scored and assisted both goals against West Ham United and supplied the lone goals against Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion. —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026

Earlier, the jury had been on the brink of convicting Rivera of manslaughter, but after the foreman read their verdict, a lone juror shockingly almost threw the trial off the rails after they were individually polled. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, short for alone

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing lone

• lone ranger
• lone star tick
• lone wolf
• plough a lone/lonely furrow

Rhymes for lone

• blown
• clone
• cone
• crone
• drone
• flown
• groan
• grown
• hone
• joan
• known
• loan

Kids Definition

lone

adjective

ˈlōn 

1

: having no company : solitary

a lone traveler

2

: situated by itself

a lone outpost