alone
[adjective]
Synonyms: by oneself, apart, detached, isolated, lonely, only, on one's tod (slang), separate, single, solitary, unaccompanied

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Contrasted words: adjacent, close-by, near-at-hand, nearly, neighboring, nigh, common, commonplace, everyday, ordinary, usual, accustomed, conventional, customary, regular
Related Idioms: off the beaten track, second to none
Related Words: out-of-the-way, private, remote, retired, secluded, withdrawn, inimitable, incomparable, unexcelled, unsurpassed, excellent, good, superior

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English Thesaurus: on your own/by yourself, all on your own/all by yourself, alone, independently, unaided, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

a‧lone S2 W1 /əˈləʊn $ əˈloʊn/ adjective [not before noun], adverb
[Date: 1200-1300; Origin: all one 'wholly one']

1. if you are alone in a place, there is no one with you Synonym : by yourself:
She lives alone.
You shouldn’t leave a child alone in the house.
My wife and I like to spend time alone together away from the kids.

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In everyday English, people often say by yourself or on your own rather than alone:
She lives by herself/on her own.

2. without any friends or people you know:
It was scary being all alone in a strange city.
She was all alone in the world (=she had no family or friends to help her or look after her).

3. feeling unhappy and lonely:
I cried like a child because I felt so alone.

4. without any help from other people:
He was left to raise their two children alone.

5. without including anything else:
The case will cost thousands of pounds in legal fees alone.

6. you/he etc alone used to emphasize that there is only one person who knows, can do something etc:
Julie alone knew the truth.

7. go it alone to start working or living on your own, especially after working or living with other people:
After years of working for a big company I decided to go it alone.

8. leave somebody alone (also let somebody alone old-fashioned) to stop annoying or interrupting someone:
‘Leave me alone!’ she screamed.

9. leave something alone (also let something alone old-fashioned) to stop touching an object or changing something:
Leave those cakes alone. They’re for the guests.
leave well (enough) alone (=not change something that is satisfactory)
In economic matters, they should leave well alone.

10. be yours/hers/his etc alone used to emphasize that something belongs to someone:
The responsibility is yours and yours alone.

11. not be alone in (doing) something to not be the only person to do something:
You’re not alone in feeling upset, believe me.

12. stand alone
a) to be strong and independent:
the courage to stand alone
b) to be at a distance from other objects or buildings:
The house stood alone at the end of the road.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

alone
adj.
VERBS be, feel, sit, stand These islands are too small to stand alone as independent states.
leave sb, let sb Don't touch me! Leave me alone!
ADV. very much I felt vulnerable and very much alone.
all, completely, entirely, quite Carol felt all alone in the world. He felt lost and completely alone.
together Finally the two of us were alone together.
PREP. with She did not want to be alone with him.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

alone
adverb
1.
BAD: I was very alone at first but then I made some friends.
GOOD: I was very lonely at first but then I made some friends.

Usage Note:
alone = without other people around you: 'I've thought about getting married, but I prefer living alone.'
lonely = sad because you are alone and feel that nobody loves you or cares about you: 'I didn't know anyone in Boston and felt very lonely.' 'Sarah hated the long lonely days in the empty house.'

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2.
BAD: Children learn a lot by doing things alone.
GOOD: Children learn a lot by doing things on their own.

Usage Note:
on your own = without anyone's help or supervision; independently: 'He built the car all on his own.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

on your own/by yourself without help from anyone else:
I can’t move the bed on my own.
See if you can work out the answer by yourself.
⇒ all on your own/all by yourself (=used when you feel impressed or feel sympathy for someone):
Did you paint this picture all on your own?
It’s not fair that she does everything all by herself.
alone without any help from anyone else. Alone is more formal and less common than on your own or by yourself:
Police believe the killer acted alone.
independently without asking for help or advice from anyone:
Students are taught to work independently.
One day she will have to live independently without the support of her family.
unaided without the help of anyone or anything – used especially about people who are very weak, ill etc:
He is unable to breathe unaided.
After treatment, he was able to go up and down stairs unaided.
single-handedly doing something difficult or impressive without help from anyone else:
She single-handedly reformed the entire system.
solo by one person, not a group:
Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean
She is planning to release a solo album.
He sang and played the song solo.
lone adjective [only before noun] doing something alone. Used especially in the following phrases: a lone gunman:
Police say the attack was carried out by a lone gunman.
The government should do more to help lone parents (=who raise a child alone).
self-made adjective someone who has become very rich or successful without help from anyone else: a self-made man/millionaire/businessman etc:
Like most self-made men, he was extremely self-confident.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

alone
əˈləun
See: let alone or leave alone , let well enough alone or leave well enough alone

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲