Single vs. Alone — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 27, 2024
Single often refers to the state of being unmarried or not involved in a romantic relationship, whereas alone describes a state of solitude, without the presence of others.
Difference Between Single and Alone
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
The term "single" primarily relates to social and relationship status, indicating that a person is not married or in a committed romantic partnership. While "alone" focuses on physical solitude or the feeling of being isolated from others, irrespective of one’s relationship status.
Single can also imply independence and the ability to make life choices unencumbered by a partner’s influence, whereas alone might carry connotations of loneliness or the absence of company, which can be either liberating or challenging depending on the context.
In societal contexts, being single is often associated with youth or transitional periods in personal relationships. On the other hand, being alone is not limited by age and can be experienced by anyone at any point in their life, depending on their circumstances.
Culturally, being single can be seen as a status with both positive and negative implications—freedom or incompleteness—depending on societal norms. In contrast, being alone is frequently viewed negatively, as human beings are inherently social creatures.
In literature and media, single characters may be portrayed as seeking love or enjoying their independence, whereas characters depicted as alone are often shown dealing with themes of isolation or self-discovery.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Not married or in a romantic relationship
Being by oneself, without others around
Connotations
Independence, availability, freedom
Isolation, solitude, possibly loneliness
Social Context
Often linked to younger, unattached individuals
Experienced universally, regardless of age
Cultural View
Varies, can be positive or negative
Generally seen as undesirable
Psychological
May feel liberating or incomplete
Can feel empowering or lonely
Compare with Definitions
Single
Unmarried or not involved in a romantic relationship.
She has been single since her last relationship ended two years ago.
Alone
Emphasizing solitude or isolation.
He prefers to work alone on complex mathematics problems.
Single
Independent, especially from romantic commitments.
He enjoys his single life and the freedom it offers.
Alone
Being by oneself, without the presence of others.
She spent the evening alone, reading her favorite book.
Single
One in number; not multiple.
Please bring me a single scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Alone
Feeling isolated or lonely.
Despite being at a party, he felt alone in the crowd.
Single
Reserved for one person or thing.
She booked a single room for her business trip.
Alone
Unique in a category or instance.
This is the alone example of early Renaissance art in the collection.
Single
Only one; not one of several
The kingdom was ruled over by a single family
A single red rose
Alone
Done without help from others.
She completed the project alone, without any assistance.
Single
Consisting of one part
The studio was a single large room
Alone
Having no one else present; on one's own
She was alone that evening
He lives alone
Single
Free from duplicity or deceit; ingenuous
A pure and single heart
Alone
Indicating that something is confined to the specified subject or recipient
He is answerable to Parliament alone
It was a smile for him alone
Single
An individual person or thing rather than part of a pair or a group.
Alone
Having no one else present; on one's own
He lives alone
She was alone that evening
Single
A hit for one run.
Alone
Indicating that something is confined to the specified subject or recipient
He is answerable to Parliament alone
It was a smile for him alone
Single
(especially in tennis and badminton) a game or competition for individual players, not pairs or teams.
Alone
Being apart from others; solitary.
Single
A system of change-ringing in which one pair of bells changes places at each round.
Alone
Being without anyone or anything else; only.
Single
Choose someone or something from a group for special treatment
One newspaper was singled out for criticism
Alone
Considered separately from all others of the same class.
Single
Thin out (seedlings or saplings)
Hand hoes are used for singling roots
Alone
Being without equal; unique.
Single
Reduce (a railway track) to a single line
The South Western line was singled west of Salisbury
Alone
Without others
Sang alone while the choir listened.
Single
Hit a single
Cohen singled to centre
Alone
Without help
Carried the suitcases alone.
Single
Not accompanied by another or others; solitary.
Alone
Exclusively; only
The burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone.
Single
Consisting of one part, aspect, or section
A single thickness.
A single serving.
Alone
By oneself, solitary.
I can't ask for help because I am alone.
Single
Having the same application for all; uniform
A single moral code for all.
Alone
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?
Single
Consisting of one in number
She had but a single thought, which was to escape.
Alone
(obsolete) Apart from, or exclusive of, others.
Single
Not divided; unbroken
A single slab of ice.
Alone
(obsolete) Mere; consisting of nothing further.
Single
Separate from others; individual and distinct
Every single child will receive a gift.
Alone
(obsolete) Unique; rare; matchless.
Single
Having individual opponents; involving two individuals only
Single combat.
Alone
By oneself; apart from, or exclusive of, others; solo.
She walked home alone.
Single
Honest; undisguised
A single adoration.
Alone
Without outside help.
The job was too hard for me to do alone.
Single
Wholly attentive
You must judge the contest with a single eye.
Alone
Not permitting anything further; exclusively.
The president alone has the power to initiate a nuclear launch.
Single
Designed to accommodate one person or thing
A single bed.
Alone
Not requiring anything further; merely.
Oral antibiotics alone won't clear the infection.
Single
Not married or involved in a romantic relationship
Once he knew she was single, he asked her to go out.
Alone
(hence) Used to emphasize the size or extent of something by selecting a subset.
Her wardrobe is huge. She has three racks for blazers alone.
The first sentence alone sold me on the book.
Single
Relating to a state of being unmarried or uninvolved in a romantic relationship
Enjoys the single life.
Alone
Quite by one's self; apart from, or exclusive of, others; single; solitary; - applied to a person or thing.
Alone on a wide, wide sea.
It is not good that the man should be alone.
Single
(Botany) Having only one rank or row of petals
A single flower.
Alone
Of or by itself; by themselves; without any thing more or any one else; without a sharer; only.
Man shall not live by bread alone.
The citizens alone should be at the expense.
Single
One that is separate and individual.
Alone
Sole; only; exclusive.
God, by whose alone power and conversation we all live, and move, and have our being.
Single
Something capable of carrying, moving, or holding one person or thing at a time, as a bed or a hotel room.
Alone
Hence; Unique; rare; matchless.
Single
A person who is not married or involved in a romantic relationship.
Alone
Solely; simply; exclusively.
Single
Singles Such persons considered as a group
A bar for singles.
Alone
Isolated from others;
Could be alone in a crowded room
Was alone with her thoughts
I want to be alone
Single
A one-dollar bill.
Alone
Lacking companions or companionship;
He was alone when we met him
She is alone much of the time
The lone skier on the mountain
A lonely fisherman stood on a tuft of gravel
A lonely soul
A solitary traveler
Single
A phonograph record, especially a forty-five, having one song on each side.
Alone
Exclusive of anyone or anything else;
She alone believed him
Cannot live by bread alone
I'll have this car and this car only
Single
A song on one of these sides.
Alone
Radically distinctive and without equal;
He is alone in the field of microbiology
This theory is altogether alone in its penetration of the problem
Bach was unique in his handling of counterpoint
Craftsmen whose skill is unequaled
Unparalleled athletic ability
A breakdown of law unparalleled in our history
Single
A song, often from a full-length album or compact disc, that is released for airplay.
Alone
Without any others being included or involved;
Was entirely to blame
A school devoted entirely to the needs of problem children
He works for Mr. Smith exclusively
Did it solely for money
The burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone
A privilege granted only to him
Single
(Baseball) A hit enabling the batter to reach first base. Also called one-bagger, one-base hit.
Alone
Without anybody else;
The child stayed home alone
He flew solo
Single
A hit for one run in cricket.
Single
A golf match between two players.
Single
Often singles A tennis or badminton match between two players.
Single
Singles A competition in which individuals compete against each other, as in rowing or figure skating.
Single
To cause (a base runner) to score or advance by hitting a single
Singled him to second.
Single
To cause the scoring of (a run) by hitting a single.
Single
To hit a single.
Single
Not accompanied by anything else; one in number.
Can you give me a single reason not to leave right now?
The vase contained a single long-stemmed rose.
Single
Not divided in parts.
The potatoes left the spoon and landed in a single big lump on the plate.
Single
Designed for the use of only one.
A single room
Single
Performed by one person, or one on each side.
A single combat
Single
Not married, and (in modern times) not dating or without a significant other.
Forms often ask if a person is single, married, divorced, or widowed. In this context, a person who is dating someone but who has never married puts "single".
Josh put down that he was a single male on the dating website.
Single
(botany) Having only one rank or row of petals.
Single
(obsolete) Simple and honest; sincere, without deceit.
Single
Uncompounded; pure; unmixed.
Single
(obsolete) Simple; foolish; weak; silly.
Single
(music) A 45 RPM vinyl record with one song on side A and one on side B.
Single
(music) A popular song released and sold (on any format) nominally on its own though usually having at least one extra track.
The Offspring released four singles from their most recent album.
Single
One who is not married or does not have a romantic partner.
He went to the party, hoping to meet some friendly singles there.
Single
(cricket) A score of one run.
Single
(baseball) A hit in baseball where the batter advances to first base.
Single
(dominoes) A tile that has a different value (i.e. number of pips) at each end.
Single
A bill valued at $1.
I don't have any singles, so you'll have to make change.
Single
(UK) A one-way ticket.
Single
(Canadian football) A score of one point, awarded when a kicked ball is dead within the non-kicking team's end zone or has exited that end zone.
Single
A game with one player on each side, as in tennis.
Single
One of the reeled filaments of silk, twisted without doubling to give them firmness.
Single
A handful of gleaned grain.
Single
A floating-point number having half the precision of a double-precision value.
Single
(film) A shot of only one character.
Single
A single cigarette.
Single
Synonym of single-driver.
Single
To identify or select one member of a group from the others; generally used with out, either to single out or to single (something) out.
Eddie singled out his favorite marble from the bag.
Yvonne always wondered why Ernest had singled her out of the group of giggling girls she hung around with.
Single
(baseball) To get a hit that advances the batter exactly one base.
Pedro singled in the bottom of the eighth inning, which, if converted to a run, would put the team back into contention.
Single
(agriculture) To thin out.
Single
(of a horse) To take the irregular gait called singlefoot.
Single
To sequester; to withdraw; to retire.
Single
To take alone, or one by one; to single out.
Single
(transitive) To reduce (a railway) to single track.
Single
One only, as distinguished from more than one; consisting of one alone; individual; separate; as, a single star.
No single man is born with a right of controlling the opinions of all the rest.
Single
Alone; having no companion.
Who single hast maintained,Against revolted multitudes, the causeOf truth.
Single
Hence, unmarried; as, a single man or woman.
Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness.
Single chose to live, and shunned to wed.
Single
Not doubled, twisted together, or combined with others; as, a single thread; a single strand of a rope.
Single
Performed by one person, or one on each side; as, a single combat.
These shifts refuted, answer thy appellant, . . . Who now defles thee thrice ti single fight.
Single
Uncompounded; pure; unmixed.
Simple ideas are opposed to complex, and single to compound.
Single
Not deceitful or artful; honest; sincere.
I speak it with a single heart.
Single
Simple; not wise; weak; silly.
He utters such single matter in so infantly a voice.
Single
To select, as an individual person or thing, from among a number; to choose out from others; to separate.
Dogs who hereby can single out their master in the dark.
His blood! she faintly screamed her mindStill singling one from all mankind.
Single
To sequester; to withdraw; to retire.
An agent singling itself from consorts.
Single
To take alone, or one by one.
Men . . . commendable when they are singled.
Single
To take the irrregular gait called single-foot; - said of a horse. See Single-foot.
Many very fleet horses, when overdriven, adopt a disagreeable gait, which seems to be a cross between a pace and a trot, in which the two legs of one side are raised almost but not quite, simultaneously. Such horses are said to single, or to be single-footed.
Single
A unit; one; as, to score a single.
Single
The reeled filaments of silk, twisted without doubling to give them firmness.
Single
A handful of gleaned grain.
Single
A game with but one player on each side; - usually in the plural.
Single
A hit by a batter which enables him to reach first base only.
Single
A base hit on which the batter stops safely at first base
Single
The smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number;
He has the one but will need a two and three to go with it
They had lunch at one
Single
Hit a one-base hit
Single
Existing alone or consisting of one entity or part or aspect or individual;
Upon the hill stood a single tower
Had but a single thought which was to escape
A single survivor
A single serving
A single lens
A single thickness
Single
Used of flowers having usually only one row or whorl of petals;
Single chrysanthemums resemble daisies and may have more than one row of petals
Single
Characteristic of or meant for a single person or thing;
An individual serving
Separate rooms
Single occupancy
A single bed
Single
Having uniform application;
A single legal code for all
Single
Not divided among or brought to bear on more than one object or objective;
Judging a contest with a single eye
A single devotion to duty
Undivided affection
Gained their exclusive attention
Single
Involved two individuals;
Single combat
Single
Individual and distinct;
Pegged down each separate branch to the earth
A gift for every single child
Common Curiosities
How can being alone be beneficial?
Being alone can offer time for self-reflection, personal growth, and independence.
Do societal views on being single vary?
Yes, societal views on being single can vary widely, sometimes seen as a positive state of freedom or negatively as incompleteness.
Does being alone always mean physical solitude?
Primarily, yes, but it can also refer to feeling isolated among others.
Are there health impacts associated with being single or alone?
Both states can impact mental and physical health positively or negatively, depending on one's social support and personal context.
What does it mean to be single?
Being single means not being married or in a committed romantic relationship.
What are the psychological effects of being single?
The effects can vary, including feelings of freedom or, conversely, loneliness or social pressure.
Can someone feel alone even when with others?
Yes, feeling alone can occur even in the presence of others if one feels disconnected or unsupported.
Is being alone the same as feeling lonely?
No, being alone refers to physical solitude, while feeling lonely describes an emotional state of feeling isolated.
Can someone be single and not feel alone?
Yes, one can be single and still enjoy fulfilling social connections without feeling alone.
Is it common to be single for life?
While not the majority, some people choose to remain single for life for personal or lifestyle reasons.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
