aloneidioms

AloneIdioms is an online resource and community devoted to the study and dissemination of idioms that center on the concept of being alone, isolation, or solitude. Created in 2013 by linguistics scholar Dr. Emily Navarro, the site serves both academic and casual audiences with annotated collections, etymological footnotes, and contextual example sentences. The main mission of AloneIdioms is to trace the cultural, historical, and psychological roots of expressions that describe solitude and to provide tools for translators, writers, language students, and lexicographers.

The site catalogs idioms from more than 40 languages, grouped by thematic subcategories such as “wind of solitude,” “twin of isolation,” and “symbolic solitude.” Each entry includes the source language form, English translation, usage notes, frequency data from corpora, and a short narrative of its earliest recorded appearance. Users can contribute by suggesting new idioms, submitting usage examples, or offering scholarly annotations. A periodic “Global Idiom of the Month” feature highlights lesser-known expressions from underrepresented languages.

Beyond the database, AloneIdioms offers a forum for discussion and a quarterly e‑newsletter with research summaries and surveys on idiom perception across cultures. The site's editorial policy emphasizes verifiable sources, rigorous linguistic analysis, and neutrality, aligning with the principles of collaborative reference sites. As of 2026, AloneIdioms has indexed over 4,500 idioms and amassed a community of more than 12,000 registered users worldwide.