Solitary means being alone, without other people or things around. It can describe a person, an activity, or a place that is done or experienced alone.
From Middle English, from Latin *solitarius* meaning “alone, isolated,” from *solus* “alone.” The same root appears in *solitude* and *solo*.
Solitary doesn’t always mean lonely; it can also mean peaceful and focused. The word has traveled from describing lonely monks and wild animals to describing quiet readers and gamers.
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