solitude

UK: /ˈsɒlɪtjuːd/

US: /ˈsɑlɪˌtud, -ˌtjud/

US: (sol′i to̅o̅d′, -tyo̅o̅d′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

sol•i•tude /ˈsɑlɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/   n. [uncountable]

1. the state of being or living alone;
   seclusion:
   She enjoyed some solitude after a busy day at work.
2. remoteness from habitations:
   He enjoyed the solitude of the woods.

See -sole-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sol•i•tude  (sol′i to̅o̅d′, -tyo̅o̅d′), n. 

1. the state of being or living alone; seclusion:
   to enjoy one's solitude.
2. remoteness from habitations, as of a place;
   absence of human activity:
   the solitude of the mountains.
3. a lonely, unfrequented place:
   a solitude in the mountains.

• Latin sōlitūdō. See soli-¹, -tude
• Middle French
• Middle English 1325–75

sol•i•tu•di•nous  (sol′i to̅o̅d′n əs, -tyo̅o̅d′-), adj.  Synonyms

• 1. retirement, privacy.
  Solitude, isolation refer to a state of being or living alone.
  Solitude emphasizes the quality of being or feeling lonely and deserted:
  to live in solitude.
  Isolation may mean merely a detachment and separation from others:
  to be put in isolation with an infectious disease.
• 2. loneliness.
• 3. desert, wilderness.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

solitude / ˈsɒlɪˌtjuːd/ noun

1. the state of being solitary or secluded
2. a solitary place

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin sōlitūdō, from sōlus alone, sole¹

ˌsoliˈtudinous adjective