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separate, apart, or isolated from others:
I want to be alone.
to the exclusion of all others or all else:
One cannot live by bread alone.
unique; unequaled; unexcelled:
He is alone among his peers in devotion to duty.
solitarily; solely:
She prefers to live alone.
only; exclusively.
without aid or help:
The baby let go of the side of the crib and stood alone.
leave alone,

to allow (someone) to be by himself or herself:
Leave him alone—he wants to rest.
to refrain from annoying or interfering with:
The youngsters wouldn’t leave the dog alone, and he finally turned on them.

let alone,

to refrain from annoying or interfering with.
not to mention:
He was too tired to walk, let alone run.

let well enough alone, to be satisfied with the existing situation; refrain from attempting to change conditions:
Marriages are often destroyed by relatives who will not let well enough alone.
Contemporary Examples

But the feeling of aloneness, of isolation, never goes away.
Charles Frazier in the Fast Lane Malcolm Jones October 13, 2011

Historical Examples

Anita and I had never felt so horrible a sense of aloneness as that which swept us in those succeeding minutes.
Wandl the Invader Raymond King Cummings

But I have need of all my peculiar genius to show you my individuality—my aloneness.
The Story of Mary MacLane Mary MacLane

“I want to get away from you,” I gasped and I felt that I must get out of the aloneness with him.
The Heart’s Kingdom Maria Thompson Daviess

This aloneness fell upon them like a thing that had a pulse and was alive.
The Courage of Marge O’Doone James Oliver Curwood

It was that I felt my aloneness, my foreignness to all things.
The Story of Mary MacLane Mary MacLane

Even in their aloneness these two women had not dared to speak until now.
The Hunted Woman James Oliver Curwood

It was a different kind of aloneness, but even more desperate from the feeling of helplessness that went with it.
Air Men o’ War Boyd Cable

To Alan there was tragedy in his aloneness as he stood in the gray of the morning.
The Alaskan James Oliver Curwood

Wilder had cruised away, and the young consul was conscious of a sense of aloneness.
David Dunne Belle Kanaris Maniates

adjective, adverb (postpositive)
apart from another or others; solitary
without anyone or anything else: one man alone could lift it
without equal; unique: he stands alone in the field of microbiology
to the exclusion of others; only: she alone believed him
leave alone, leave be, let alone, let be, to refrain from annoying or interfering with
leave well alone, leave well enough alone, let well alone, let well enough alone, to refrain from interfering with something that is satisfactory
let alone, much less; not to mention: he can’t afford beer, let alone whisky
adj., adv.

c.1300 contraction of all ane, from Old English all ana “unaccompanied, all by oneself,” from all “all, wholly” (see all) + an “one” (see one). Similar compounds are found in German (allein) and Dutch (alleen).

Related Terms

go it alone
see:

go it alone
leave someone alone
leave well enough alone
let alone