What does "solitaire" mean?
A person who lives alone; a recluse or hermit.
Solitaire
/ˈsɑ.ləˌtɚ/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who lives alone; a recluse or hermit.
- Grammar: solitaire is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: patience, anchorite, ascetic, blackjack.
- Useful contrasts: cluster setting, cluster stone, colonial.
- Usage evidence: Tom sat at the dining room table playing solitaire.
How to use "solitaire"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "solitaire" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "solitaire" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "solitaire" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "solitaire" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "solitaire" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "patience" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "solitaire", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who lives alone; a recluse or hermit. countable, uncountable
"1722-1723, Alexander Pope, letter to a lady […] he really wishes he had never beheld you, nor yours. You have spoiled him for a solitaire, and a book, all the days of his life; and put him into such a condition, that he thinks of nothing, and enquires of nothing but after a person who has nothing to say to him, and has left him for ever […]"
- 2 a card game played by one person wordnet
- 3 A game for one person, played on a board with pegs or balls, in which the object is, beginning with all the places filled except one, to remove all but one of the pieces by "jumping", as in draughts. countable, uncountable
"The early French solitaire boards were marked with thirty-seven holes instead of the modern board's thirty-three; and the problems were more difficult."
- 4 a dull grey North American thrush noted for its beautiful song wordnet
- 5 Any of various card games that can be played by one person. US, countable, uncountable
"You like to sit high on a hill / Count the daisies in the field / It's your own way of playing solitaire / You won't answer no question / Or say where you've been / The last thing you think you need is a friend"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 extinct flightless bird related to the dodo wordnet
- 7 Ellipsis of Rodrigues solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), an extinct bird related to the dodo. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 8 a gem (usually a diamond) in a setting by itself wordnet
- 9 Ellipsis of Réunion solitaire (Raphus solitarius, now Threskiornis solitarius), an extinct bird formerly believed to be related to the dodo. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 10 One of several American species of bird in the genus Myadestes in the thrush family. countable, uncountable
- 11 A single gem, usually a diamond, mounted in a piece of jewellery by itself. countable, uncountable
"The Times reported ‘two pendant earrings formed of diamond solitaires of great splendor, supporting pear-shaped pearls of proportionate value, capped with brilliants.[…]’"
- 12 A black neck ribbon worn with a bag wig in the 18th century. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The fellow wears a ſolitaire, uſes paint, and takes rappee with all the grimace of a French marquis."
Adjective
- 1 Living or being alone; solitary.
Example
"Tom sat at the dining room table playing solitaire."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "solitaire"?
Common synonyms include: patience, anchorite, ascetic, blackjack, bridge, canfield.
How do you use "solitaire" in a sentence?
Tom sat at the dining room table playing solitaire.
How do you pronounce "solitaire"?
Pronounced /ˈsɑ.ləˌtɚ/.
Etymology
Borrowed from French solitaire, ultimately from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitary.