Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós
Proto-Germanic *allaz
Proto-West Germanic *all
Old English eall
Proto-Indo-European *ís?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos
Proto-Germanic *ainaz
Proto-West Germanic *ain
Old English ān
Old English eall ān
Middle English all oon
Middle English allone
English alone
From Middle English allone, from earlier all oon (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. For the different phonological development of alone and one, see the note in one.
Meanings
(not-comparable, predicative) By oneself, solitary.
Alone on a wide, wide sea. 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
I can't ask for help because I am alone.
It is not good that the man should be alone. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis ii:18:
When Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. special forces during a historic raid in his native homeland, he wasn't alone. His wife, Cilia Flores, was also detained. 2026 January 5, Callum Sutherland, “Who Is Cilia Flores? What to Know About Maduro’s Wife Amid Fall of Venezuela's First Couple”, in TIME, archived from the original on 23 Feb 2026:
(not-comparable, predicative) By oneself, solitary. ▸ Not involved in a romantic relationship.
(in the negative, not-comparable, predicative) Lacking peers who share one's beliefs, experiences, practices, etc.
Senator Craddock wants to abolish the estate tax, and she's not alone.
I always organize my Halloween candy before eating it. Am I alone in this?
Hungary's leader is not alone in eastern and southern Europe, where democratically elected populist strongmen increasingly dominate, deploying the power of the state and a battery of instruments of intimidation to crush dissent, demonise opposition, tame the media and tailor the system to their ends. 2013 August 23, Ian Traynor, “Eastern European autocrats pose new test for democracy”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 11, archived from the original on 17 May 2023, page 1:
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by it all, you’re not alone. 2021 September 8, Ekua Hagan, “5 Ways to Restore Our Hope”, in Psychology Today:
(not-comparable, obsolete, predicative) Apart from, or exclusive of, others.
God, […] by whose alone power and conversation we all live, and move, and have our being. 1692, Richard Bentley, [A Confutation of Atheism] (please specify the sermon), London: [Thomas Parkhurst; Henry Mortlock], published 1692–1693:
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[…] 1662, Jacques Olivier, translated by Richard Banke, A Discourse of Women, Shewing Their Imperfections Alphabetically, →OCLC, page 18:
(not-comparable, obsolete, predicative) Mere; consisting of nothing further.
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; 1676, Robert Barclay, An Apology for the True Christian Divinity […] :
Pardon me, Proteus, all I can is nothing / To her, whose worth makes other worthies nothing; / She is alone. c. 1589–1593, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, act 2, scene 4, lines 163–165:
ur اَکیلَا (by oneself) · syl ꠄꠇꠟꠣ (by oneself) · fi ainutlaatuinen (unique) · scn sulu (by oneself) · pt só (by oneself) · ota یالڭز (by oneself) · id sendirian (by oneself) · bg сам (by oneself) · ru сам (by oneself) · de allein (by oneself) · arc לחוד (by oneself) · ka მარტო (unique) · rsk сам (by oneself) · cs sám (by oneself) · it solo (by oneself) · fi yksinäinen (by oneself) · gl único (unique) · ang ān (by oneself) · uk сам (by oneself) · be сам (by oneself) · pt sozinho (by oneself) · sc solu (by oneself) · es solo (by oneself) · it solo (unique) · csm kéŋ·e-t·i- (by oneself) · ur تنہا (by oneself) · el μοναδικός (unique) · bar alloa (by oneself) · sh са̑м (unique) · be адзі́н (by oneself) · it da solo (by oneself) · mr एकटी (by oneself) · ga aonraic (by oneself) · eo sola (by oneself) · ru оди́н (by oneself) · id sendiri (by oneself) · oc sol (by oneself) · tr yalnız (by oneself) · ca únic (unique) · sv ensam (by oneself) · la sōlus (by oneself) · nl alleen (by oneself) · is einn (by oneself) · ml ഒറ്റക്ക് (by oneself) · uk оди́н (by oneself) · de einzig (unique) · de alleinig (unique) · grc μόνος (by oneself) · gl só (by oneself) · hi अकेला (by oneself) · mr एकटा (by oneself) · mr एकटे (by oneself) · it da solo (unique) · qu sapa (unique) · or ଏକଲା (by oneself) · chr ᎤᏩᏌ (by oneself) · fi yksinään (by oneself) · hu egyedül (by oneself) · egy wa:D36*Z1 (by oneself) · sk sám (by oneself) · fr seul (by oneself) · pl sam (by oneself) · pt único (unique) · ca sol (unique) · qu paylla (unique) · sh sȃm (unique) · da alene (by oneself) · gsw eläi (by oneself) · sv allena (unique) · ca sol (by oneself) · ro singur (by oneself)
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós
Proto-Germanic *allaz
Proto-West Germanic *all
Old English eall
Proto-Indo-European *ís?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos
Proto-Germanic *ainaz
Proto-West Germanic *ain
Old English ān
Old English eall ān
Middle English all oon
Middle English allone
English alone
From Middle English allone, from earlier all oon (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. For the different phonological development of alone and one, see the note in one.
Meanings
(not-comparable, predicative) By oneself; apart from, or exclusive of, others; solo.
She walked home alone.
(not-comparable, predicative) Without outside help.
The job was too hard for me to do alone.
(not-comparable, predicative) Focus adverb, typically modifying a noun and occurring immediately after it. ▸ Not permitting anything further; exclusively.
The president alone has the power to initiate a nuclear launch.
The Senate (A.U.C. 514) decreed that the eldest son alone should bear his father's praenomen. 1945, E[lizabeth] G[idley] Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xv:
They must be told, that the ultimate authority, wherever the derivative may be found, resides in the People alone; 1788, James Madison, Federalist No. 46^(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Federalist_(Dawson)/45):
(not-comparable, predicative) Focus adverb, typically modifying a noun and occurring immediately after it. ▸ Not requiring anything further; merely.
In writing this tale I had in mind not alone to please my young readers, but also to give them a fair picture of life on the ocean as it is to-day, 1903, Arthur M. Winfield, The Rover Boys on Land and Sea:
Except on matters of mere detail, there are perhaps no practical questions, even among those which approach nearest to the character of purely economical questions, which admit of being decided on economical premises alone. 1871, John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy^(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Principles_of_Political_Economy_(Mill),_vol._1):
Oral antibiotics alone won't clear the infection.
(broadly, not-comparable, predicative) Focus adverb, typically modifying a noun and occurring immediately after it. ▸ Used to emphasize the size or extent of something by selecting a subset.
“[…] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.” 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
In the first place, though Lady Burton published comparatively little, she was a voluminous writer, and she left behind her such a mass of letters and manuscripts that the sorting of them alone was a formidable task. 1897, The Romance of Isabel, Lady Burton:
The first sentence alone sold me on the book.
In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result. 2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:
Her wardrobe is huge. She has three racks for blazers alone.
ml തനിച്ച് (without company) · zza teyna (without company) · sk jedine (only) · ca sol (without outside help) · mk сам (without company) · ml ഒറ്റയ്ക്ക് (without outside help) · fur bessôl (without company) · ang āna (without outside help) · nmn ʻáa (without company) · ka მარტო (without company) · he לְבַד (without company) · fi yksin (without outside help) · no bare (only) · sk osamote (without company) · zza tenya (diq) (without company) · sv endast (only) · vi thôi (only) · ja 単独 (without company) · da alene (without company) · sk sám (without company) · et ainult (only) · fr seul (without company) · hu egyedül (only) · et ise (without outside help) · as অকলে (without company) · mi tōtahi (without company) · et üksi (without company) · es solo (without company) · or ଏକା (without company) · uk сам (without outside help) · kk жалғыз (without company) · yi אַליין (without company) · ru без посторо́нней по́мощи (without outside help) · vi một mình (without company) · ar وَحِيد (without company) · th เดียว (without company) · hy մենակ (without company) · cs sám (without company) · et üksi (only) · fi itsekseen (without company) · ka მარტოხელა (without company) · ru в одино́чку (without outside help) · eo sole (without company) · sv allena (without company) · fa تنهایی (without company) · eu bakarrik (without outside help) · tpw anhõ (only) · uk сам (without company) · hu kizárólag (only) · it solamente (only) · ja 一人 (without company) · sa एकाकी (without company) · ru сам (without outside help) · es solo (without outside help) · sv bara (only) · rm persul (without company) · liv ikšiggiņ (without company) · sc solu (without company) · fi yksinään (without outside help) · la solus (without company) · de nur (only) · cmn 單獨 /单独 (without company) · rm sulet (without company) · mt waħdi (without company) · da alene (without outside help) · de selbst (without outside help) · fur sôl (without company) · sc sou (without company) · de ausschließlich (only) · fa یکه (without company) · ca sol (without company) · eu bakarrik (only) · tr tek (without company) · cmn 獨自 /独自 (without company) · ru оди́н (without outside help) · it solo (without company) · bg единствено (only) · bg самостоятелен (without outside help) · tr yalnız (without company) · it solo (only) · ang āna (without company) · hu egyedül (without outside help) · el μόνο (only) · ms bersendirian (without company) · pdt auleen (without company) · fi yksin (without company) · ru самостоя́тельно (without outside help) · pt sozinho (without outside help) · fi yksin (only) · dlm sanglo (without company) · hu egyedül (without company) · ka მხოლოდ (only) · ca només (only) · el μόνος (without company) · el μόνος (without outside help) · cy unig (without company) · ml ഒറ്റയ്ക്ക് (without company) · fi yksinään (without company) · da kun (only) · ka ეული (without company) · sk samostatne (without outside help) · it soltanto (only) · gsw allei (without company) · ko 홀로 (without company) · ajp لحال (without company) · de allein (only) · ml തനിയെ (without company) · to tokotaha (without company) · bg сам (without outside help) · nn åleine (without company) · pt só (only) · no alene (without outside help) · nl alleen (without outside help) · it da solo (without company) · hu csakis (only) · sv ensam (without company) · uk оди́н (without company) · fa تنها (without company) · et üksinda (without company) · sv enbart (only) · vi chỉ (only) · hu csupán (only) · oc sol (without company) · da alene (only) · ro singur (without company) · fi ainoastaan (only) · eu bakarrik (without company) · de allein (without company) · ca sol (only) · de einsam (without company) · sk výlučne (only) · bg само (only) · sv själv (without outside help) · ang āna (only) · vi một mình (without outside help) · no alene (only) · ca tot sol (without outside help) · sh sȃm (without company) · ar مُنْفَرِد (without company) · sco alane (without company) · pl sam (without outside help) · lv viens pats (without company) · pl samotnie (without company) · nl alleen (without company) · lb eleng (without company) · pl samodzielnie (without outside help) · bg сам (without company) · ur اکیلا (without company) · ml മാത്രം (only) · fi yksikseen (without company) · ajp لوحد (without company) · hi अकेला (without company) · ml സ്വയം (without outside help) · hu egymagában (without company) · da selv (without outside help) · ro singur (only) · rup singur (without company) · fj taudua (without company) · be сам (without company) · ru оди́н (without company) · lv tikai (without company) · ru оди́н (only) · fj duadua (only) · pt sozinho (without company) · nb alene (without company) · scn sulu (without company) · no kun (only) · fi itsekseen (without outside help) · lo ດຽວ (without company) · ka დაუხმარებლად (without outside help) · rm parsul (without company) · is ein (without company) · ar لحال (without company) · ru то́лько (only) · ka მარტომ (without outside help) · ru одино́кий (without company) · prg āins (without company) · sh са̑м (without company) · be сам (without outside help)