Solitary means existing or done all alone. A solitary figure, a solitary walk, solitary confinement.
It also means one and only, before a noun: not a solitary word, a solitary exception. Solitary confinement is the prison practice of isolation, which is the subject of serious argument about its effects. Of an animal, solitary is a technical term meaning not living in groups: a solitary bee. Note solitude, which means the state and is usually chosen rather than imposed; and loneliness, which is not.
1adjectivesolitaryExisting or done all alone.
“A solitary figure walked the whole length of the beach.”
synonyms: lone, single
2adjectiveadjectiveOne and only.
“There was not a solitary word about it in the report.”
solitary is a state of being alone.
Also accepted in games: lone
Latin solitarius comes from solus, alone — the same root as sole, solo, solitude and desolate. All of them describe being one, and the tone is decided entirely by whether that was the plan.
Latin
sōlitārius
Middle English
solitarie
English, today
solitary
From Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. a doublet of solitaire.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA