solitery

Solitary is the standard English adjective describing someone or something that exists or acts alone, without companions, or that prefers or requires isolation. The spelling solitery is a nonstandard or historical variant that occasionally appears in older texts or as a misspelling in contemporary writing. In most modern usage, solitery is not accepted as the correct form; learners are advised to use solitary for clarity and correctness. The word derives from Latin solitarius, from solus “alone,” and entered English via Old French solitaire.

In biology, the term solitary is used to describe species that typically live alone outside of mating or rearing periods. Solitary behavior is common among many mammals, such as several big cats and bears, as well as various insects, fungi, and birds when not breeding. A related term, solitary bees or solitary wasps, refers to species that do not form colonies or social nests, instead creating individual nests or brood spaces.

In human contexts, solitary is frequently encountered in discussions of solitude—the state of being alone without necessarily feeling lonely. It also appears in law and criminal justice in the phrase solitary confinement, referring to the isolation of prisoners for extended periods. The concept is often contrasted with social or communal living, and with loneliness, which describes subjective distress from a perceived gap between desired and actual social interaction.

In literature and culture, solitary figures often symbolize independence, introspection, or exile. While solitery may appear in some texts, it is generally considered an archaic or erroneous variant of solitary and is not used in formal writing.