0
Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

Lonely/solitary/alone

Hi,

According to the dictionary, 'alone' can mean 'feeling unhappy and lonely'. For example,
'I cried like a child because I felt so alone.'
Can I use 'only' or 'solitary' instead without changing the meaning here?

eg2

'Come over and see me; I'm feeling a bit solitary/lonely.'
This is also from the dictionary. Can I use 'alone' here? Do the three words mean the same here?

Thank you very much.
  

Top answer

'Alone' means without companionship; you may be unhappy in that condition, but the word itself does not convey unhappiness: 1-- I cried like a child because I felt so alone. 2-- I laughed with glee because at last I felt alone! You cannot use 'only' in either sentence.

— Mister Micawber

  • 'Alone' means without companionship; you may be unhappy in that condition, but the word itself does not convey unhappiness: 1-- I cried like a child because I felt so alone.
  • 2-- I laughed with glee because at last I felt alone!
  • You cannot use 'only' in either sentence.
  • You can use 'lonely' only for sentence #1, because it does carry a sad meaning.
  • 'Solitary' carries a neutral or positive connotation, and solitary people choose to be so, or it in their character.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

10 Answers
0
'Alone' means without companionship; you may be unhappy in that condition, but the word itself does not convey unhappiness:

1-- I cried like a child because I felt so alone.

2-- I laughed with glee because at last I felt alone!

You cannot use 'only' in either sentence.

You can use 'lonely' only for sentence #1, because it does carry a sad meaning.
0
0
Hi MM,

Question1
Mister MicawberYou cannot use 'only' in either sentence.
Do you mean I can't use 'lonely' in

1-- I cried like a child because I felt so alone.

and

2-- I laughed with glee because at last I felt alone!

Question2
Mister MicawberSolitary' carries a neutral or po
0
0
Hi MM,

Question1
Mister MicawberYou cannot use 'only' in either sentence.
Do you mean I can't use 'lonely' in

1-- I cried like a child because I felt so alone.

and

2-- I laughed with glee because at last I felt alone!

Question2
Mister MicawberSolitary' carries a neutral or po
0
0
Please consolidate your questions into a single, clear post.
0
0
Hi MM,

I'm very sorrey to have repeated my questions last time. Here are my questions:

Question1
Mister MicawberYou cannot use 'only' in either sentence.
Do you mean I can't use 'lonely' in

1-- I cried like a child because I felt so alone.

and

2-- I laughed with glee because at last I felt alone!
0
0
You can use these; these make sense:

I cried like a child because I felt so alone/lonely.

'Come over and see me; I'm feeling a bit lonely.'

0
0
Hi MM,

Question1

Does 'solitary' make sense in the sentence:

I laughed with glee because at last I felt solitary!


Is there any difference in meaning between alone and solitary here?

Question2

Could you tell me why solitary doesn't make sense in

"I cried like a child because I felt so solitary"?

Thank you ve
0
0
I have already explained this in my first and third posts above. Please read them carefully.
0
0
Hi MM,
Mister MicawberSolitary' carries a neutral or positive connotation, and solitary people choose to be so, or it in their character. It does not really fit into #2,
Did you refer to the example 'I laughed with glee because at last I felt alone! ' when you said "It does not really fit into #2"?

I'm still very confused about the differen
0
0

Hi, solitary is a state of being/things. EG - “it was a solitary place” “I lead a solitary existence”

You wouldn’t say “it was an alone place” “I lead an alone existence” as it doesn’t make sense.

“I feel so alone” works because That’s a feeling.

“I feel so solitary” doesn’t work as Solitary is not a feeling, rather the state of something.

They have similar definiti

0

Related Questions