alone

aloneadjective

American /əˈloʊn/ British /əˈləʊn/

comparative with more

very commondefining vocabulary

Alone means with no other person there, or with no one and nothing else involved.

with no one elsewithout any other person with you
predicative only [pred] comparative with more [more]
- Are you alone, or is someone with you?
- When the guests had gone, we were finally alone.
- She likes to be alone for an hour before work.
- The cat seems happiest when it is alone.
Collocations
adverb + adjective all alone, completely alone, entirely alone
phrase be alone with someone, be home alone
Compare lonely (lonely says that you are unhappy because you have no company; alone says only that no one else is there)
For translators (sense 1)
Meaning across languages Alone here is a plain fact with no feeling attached; do not translate it with a word that suggests sadness.
without help or supportwithout anyone to help or support you, or feeling that no one shares your situation
predicative only [pred] comparative with more [more]
- You're not alone; a lot of people find this hard. (you are not the only one)
- After the argument she felt completely alone.
- He was left alone to deal with the problem.
Collocations
phrase feel alone, be left alone to do something, not alone in doing something, alone in the world
adjective + preposition alone in
Synonyms lonely (lonely stresses the sad feeling)
onlybeing the only one, with no one or nothing else
after the noun [after noun] not gradable [not gradable]
- Sara alone knew where the key was. (after a name or pronoun)
- The rent alone costs more than I earn in a month.
- Talent alone is not enough; you also have to work.
- Time alone will tell whether the plan works.
Synonyms only
For translators (sense 3)
Meaning across languages This is like only placed after the noun; other languages usually use their ordinary word for only, in its usual position.

Word family

lone (only before a noun: a lone tree)
lonely
loneliness

Choosing between alone · lonely

Alone says only that no one else is there, and carries no feeling: Kim lives alone and likes it. Lonely says that you are unhappy because you have no company, and you can be lonely in a crowd: He felt lonely in the new city. On your own means the same as alone and is more common in speech; it also means without help: I fixed it on my own.

Usage

After a verb (She traveled alone; I did it alone), alone is an adverb and has its own entry: alone (adverb). Leave me alone (stop bothering me) is under leave, and let alone (even less) is under let.

Common mistakes

I like being lonely sometimes. I like being alone sometimes.
Lonely means sad because you have no company; alone is neutral.

an alone woman a woman on her own
Alone never comes before a noun; use on her own, or single if you mean not married.

I went there by alone. I went there alone.
Alone takes no preposition; by goes with myself: by myself.

Word origin

Alone is all plus one: it began as the phrase all one, meaning wholly by yourself. Lone was made from it later by dropping the first syllable, and lonely comes from lone.

Checked against: Wiktionary, Online Etymology Dictionary (2026-09-16)

See also alone (alone after a verb: she traveled alone)

For translators

Meaning across languages Many languages have one word for alone and lonely; English separates the plain fact (alone) from the unhappy feeling (lonely). The only sense (Sara alone) is a different word in many languages.

Grammar trap Alone never comes before a noun: it follows a linking verb such as be or feel, or, in the only sense, follows the noun itself: the cost alone. It takes no preposition before it: not by alone.

Pronunciation trap Two syllables with the stress on the second: uh-LONE. The first vowel is the weak uh sound, as at the start of about.