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SOLITARY
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
One who lives in solitude
Synonyms:
hermit; recluse; solitary; solitudinarian; troglodyte
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("solitary" is a kind of...):
lone hand; lone wolf; loner (a person who avoids the company or assistance of others)
Instance hyponyms:
John the Baptist; St. John the Baptist ((New Testament) a preacher and hermit and forerunner of Jesus (whom he baptized); was beheaded by Herod at the request of Salome)
Derivation:
solitary (characterized by or preferring solitude)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Confinement of a prisoner in isolation from other prisoners
Example:
he was held in solitary
Synonyms:
solitary; solitary confinement
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("solitary" is a kind of...):
confinement (the state of being confined)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Devoid of creatures
Example:
a trail leading to an unfrequented lake
Synonyms:
lonely; solitary; unfrequented
Classified under:
Similar:
uninhabited (not having inhabitants; not lived in)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Being the only one; single and isolated from others
Example:
a solitary speck in the sky
Synonyms:
lone; lonesome; only; sole; solitary
Classified under:
Similar:
single (existing alone or consisting of one entity or part or aspect or individual)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Characterized by or preferring solitude
Example:
a solitary walk
Synonyms:
lone; lonely; solitary
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unsocial (not seeking or given to association; being or living without companions)
Derivation:
solitariness (a disposition toward being alone)
solitary (one who lives in solitude)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Lacking companions or companionship
Example:
a solitary traveler
Synonyms:
alone; lone; lonely; solitary
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unaccompanied (being without an escort)
Derivation:
solitariness (the state of being alone in solitary isolation)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Of plants and animals; not growing or living in groups or colonies
Example:
solitary bees
Synonyms:
nongregarious; nonsocial; solitary
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
ungregarious ((of animals) not gregarious)
Derivation:
solitariness (the state of being alone in solitary isolation)
Context examples:
Several times they encountered solitary wolves.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
“You'll be a solitary woman heer, I'm afeerd!” said Mr. Peggotty.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Three craters — Occator, Kerwan and Yalode — and Ceres' solitary tall mountain, Ahuna Mons, are all associated with "gravity anomalies."
(Dawn Finds Possible Ancient Ocean Remnants at Ceres, NASA)
It is a solitary, usually peripheral lung lesion.
(Alveolar Adenoma, NCI Thesaurus)
The solitary, hungry look in his eyes went straight to Jo's warm heart.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Solitary or multiple foci of increased cellularity distal to terminal bronchioles.
(Alveoli Epithelial Hyperplasia of the Mouse Pulmonary System, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)
It affects females more often than males and it usually presents as a solitary mass.
(Granular Cell Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)
Representative examples of benign non-epithelial neoplasms include hemangioma, angiomyolipoma, and solitary fibrous tumor.
(Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct Non-Epithelial Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)
Representative examples include hemangioma, angiomyolipoma, and solitary fibrous tumor.
(Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct Benign Non-Epithelial Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)
Congenital cysts occur more frequently as solitary cysts but may be multiple.
(Pancreatic Cyst, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
