loner

noun

lon·​er ˈlō-nər 

1

: one that avoids others: such as

a

: a person who is often alone or likes to be alone : someone who usually avoids the company of others

He is a moody loner who doesn't become chummy with anyone.

—Sam Moses

Many rowers will agree that sculling is a sport for loners who relish the more quixotic elements of the sport.

—D. C. Churbuck

… she found that the image of the scientist as an antisocial loner is a myth …

—Warren E. Leary

b

: a typically solitary animal

Black bears are loners and usually wander by themselves in search of food.

—Mark Carwardine

Despite the fact they are loners, cats do have a well-organized social system based on scent marks and mutual avoidance.

—Fiona Sunquist

2

: individualist sense 1

Synonyms

• bohemian
• boho
• counterculturist
• deviant
• enfant terrible
• free spirit
• heretic
• iconoclast
• individualist
• lone ranger
• lone wolf
• maverick
• nonconformer
• nonconformist

Examples of loner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Iceland, the hunky loner currently renting Sam’s family farm with his dog Wesley. —Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2024

Heraclitus was a loner, according to the sketchy accounts of him, and rather a crank. —David Quammen, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024

Some former classmates described Crooks as a loner – a smart kid who kept to himself and had few friends. —Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 17 July 2024

Deadpool, the mercenary who’s known for breaking fourth walls as much as he’s known for decapitating bad guys, is a natural foil for Wolverine, the X-Men’s mutton-chop-wearing loner who isn’t interested in making new friends. —Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 26 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

loner

noun

lon·​er ˈlō-nər 

: one that avoids others

especially : individualist sense 1