The Collaborative International Dictionary
Solitary \Sol"i*ta*ry\, a. [L. solitarius, fr. solus alone: cf. F. solitaire. See Sole, a., and cf. Solitaire.]
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Living or being by one's self; having no companion present; being without associates; single; alone; lonely.
Those rare and solitary, these in flocks.
--Milton.Hie home unto my chamber, Where thou shalt find me, sad and solitary.
--Shak. -
Performed, passed, or endured alone; as, a solitary journey; a solitary life.
Satan . . . explores his solitary flight.
--Milton. Not much visited or frequented; remote from society; retired; lonely; as, a solitary residence or place.
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Not inhabited or occupied; without signs of inhabitants or occupation; desolate; deserted; silent; still; hence, gloomy; dismal; as, the solitary desert.
How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people.
--Lam. i. 1.Let that night be solitary; let no joyful voice come therein.
--Job iii. 7. Single; individual; sole; as, a solitary instance of vengeance; a solitary example.
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(Bot.) Not associated with others of the same kind.
Solitary ant (Zo["o]l.), any solitary hymenopterous insect of the family Mutillid[ae]. The female of these insects is destitute of wings and has a powerful sting. The male is winged and resembles a wasp. Called also spider ant.
Solitary bee (Zo["o]l.), any species of bee which does not form communities.
Solitary sandpiper (Zo["o]l.), an American tattler ( Totanus solitarius).
Solitary snipe (Zo["o]l.), the great snipe. [Prov. Eng.]
Solitary thrush (Zo["o]l.) the starling. [Prov. Eng.]
Usage examples of "solitary ant".
A solitary ant, not three inches from his eye, gazed at him without expression.
Herry, rigid in his blankets, experienced immensity, became a solitary ant in a vast hall.