Definition of "solitary" []

• Existing, living, or going without others; alone: a solitary traveler. See Synonyms at alone. (adjective)
• Happening, done, or made alone: a solitary evening; solitary pursuits such as reading and sewing. (adjective)
• Remote from civilization; secluded: a solitary retreat. (adjective)
• Having no companions; lonesome or lonely. (adjective)
• Zoology Living alone or in pairs only: solitary wasps; solitary sparrows. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It is more difficult to say which extreme is worst, among _an equal number of individuals_; but probably the city; for in the country, vice is oftener solitary, and less frequently social; while in the city it is not only _social_ but also _solitary_."
• "The hole was what they called solitary confinement, and it was way down in the bottom of the old wing."
• "And for three years and a half, much of the time in solitary confinement, he was left to meditate upon the injustice of man."