Alone
WordNet
adverb
(1) Without any others being included or involved
"Was entirely to blame"
"A school devoted entirely to the needs of problem children"
"He works for Mr. Smith exclusively"
"Did it solely for money"
"The burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone"
"A privilege granted only to him"
(2) Without anybody else
"The child stayed home alone"
"He flew solo"
WiktionaryText
English
Etymology
Contracted from and , from .
Adjective
- By one's self; apart from, or exclusive of, others; single; solo; solitary;—applied to a person or thing.
- I can't ask for help because I am alone. That is, “I am alone” means nobody else is near.
Adverb
- By one's self; apart from, or exclusive of, others; solo
- She walked home alone.
- Without outside help; singlehandedly
- The job was to hard for me to do alone.
- Of or by itself; by themselves; without any thing more or any one else; without a sharer; only.
- Man shall not live by bread alone. —Luke iv. 4. Here, “bread alone” means bread and nothing else.
- Unique; without peer or equal:
- Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare. -- Edna St. Vincent Millay
Synonyms
lone, lonely, single, solitary, solo singlehandedly, by myself only, exclusivelyUsage notes
- Unlike most focusing adverbs, alone typically appears after a noun phrase.
- Only the teacher knew vs. The teacher alone knew