Alone

//əˈləʊn// adj, adv

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    By oneself, solitary. not-comparable, predicative

    "I can't ask for help because I am alone."

  2. 2
    By oneself, solitary.; Not involved in a romantic relationship. not-comparable, predicative
  3. 3
    Lacking peers who share one's beliefs, experiences, practices, etc. not-comparable, predicative

    "Senator Craddock wants to abolish the estate tax, and she's not alone."

  4. 4
    Apart from, or exclusive of, others. not-comparable, obsolete, predicative

    "There are proofs enough in History, and first that beautiful Hynes, so much beloved by Charles the seventh King of France, who valued the alone possession of her Love at so high a rate, that[…]"

  5. 5
    Mere; consisting of nothing further. not-comparable, obsolete, predicative

    "and therefore all Killing, Banishing, Fining, Imprisoning, and other such things, which Men are afflicted with, for the alone exercise of their Conscience, or difference in Worship or Opinion, proceedeth from the spirit of Cain, the Murderer, and is contrary to the Truth;"

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  1. 6
    Unique; rare; matchless. not-comparable, obsolete, predicative

    "Pardon me, Proteus, all I can is nothing / To her, whose worth makes other worthies nothing; / She is alone."

Adjective
  1. 1
    radically distinctive and without equal wordnet
  2. 2
    exclusive of anyone or anything else wordnet
  3. 3
    isolated from others wordnet
  4. 4
    lacking companions or companionship wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    By oneself; apart from, or exclusive of, others; solo. not-comparable, predicative

    "She walked home alone."

  2. 2
    Without outside help. not-comparable, predicative

    "The job was too hard for me to do alone."

  3. 3
    Focus adverb, typically modifying a noun and occurring immediately after it.; Not permitting anything further; exclusively. not-comparable, predicative

    "The president alone has the power to initiate a nuclear launch."

  4. 4
    Focus adverb, typically modifying a noun and occurring immediately after it.; Not requiring anything further; merely. not-comparable, predicative

    "Oral antibiotics alone won't clear the infection."

  5. 5
    Focus adverb, typically modifying a noun and occurring immediately after it.; Used to emphasize the size or extent of something by selecting a subset. broadly, not-comparable, predicative

    "Her wardrobe is huge. She has three racks for blazers alone."

Adverb
  1. 1
    without any others being included or involved wordnet
  2. 2
    without anybody else or anything else wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English allone, from earlier all oon (“alone”, literally “all one”), contracted from the Old English phrase eall ān (“completely alone”), equivalent to al- (“all”) + one. Cognate with Scots alane (“alone”), Saterland Frisian alleene (“alone”), West Frisian allinne (“alone”), Dutch alleen (“alone”), Low German alleen (“alone”), German allein (“alone”), Danish alene (“alone”), Swedish allena (“alone”). More at all and one. Regarding the different phonological development of alone and one, see the note in one.

Etymology 2

From Middle English allone, from earlier all oon (“alone”, literally “all one”), contracted from the Old English phrase eall ān (“completely alone”), equivalent to al- (“all”) + one. Cognate with Scots alane (“alone”), Saterland Frisian alleene (“alone”), West Frisian allinne (“alone”), Dutch alleen (“alone”), Low German alleen (“alone”), German allein (“alone”), Danish alene (“alone”), Swedish allena (“alone”). More at all and one. Regarding the different phonological development of alone and one, see the note in one.

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