solitario
/soliˈtaɾjo/
In Spanish, the English phrase 'lonely' can be expressed as solitario or solo.
Meaning: of person: unhappy by feeling isolated (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| solitario | /soliˈtaɾjo/ |
| solo | /ˈsolo/ |
Both words are used to describe a person who is unhappy due to feeling isolated.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both solitario and solo must agree in gender with the person being described. For example, if describing a female, you would use solitaria or sola.
How do you pronounce it?
/soliˈtaɾjo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may confuse the adjective solo (meaning alone or lonely) with its adverbial use meaning 'only'. In some older or specific stylistic contexts, the version meaning 'only' is written as sólo to avoid ambiguity.
Did you know?
- The word soltero is a linguistic relative of solitario, though it means 'single' in the sense of an unmarried person rather than being 'lonely'.
- If you say estoy solo, you are stating the fact that you are by yourself, whereas me siento solo specifically communicates the emotional feeling of being 'lonely'.
- The word solitario is also used to describe places that are remote or isolated, such as a camino solitario or 'lonely road'.
Examples in context
- Me sentí muy solo.I felt very lonely.This sentence is useful for expressing how you felt personally using solo.Tatoeba #2676879 by marcelostockle, translation #2676854 by fekundulo
- Tom se sintió solo.Tom felt lonely.This sentence is useful for describing how Tom felt using solo.Tatoeba #1284300 by marcelostockle, translation #1025780 by CK
- Él es muy solitario.He's very lonely.This sentence is useful for describing someone's character using solitario.Tatoeba #2115520 by marcelostockle, translation #1912017 by Spamster
- La casa se ve tan solitaria sin mis hijos.The house looks so lonely without my children.
- Me siento aislado(a) en el trabajo sin tener a nadie con quien hablar.I feel lonely at work without anyone to talk to.
- Me siento sola(o) desde que me mudé a esta ciudad.I've been feeling lonely since I moved to this city.
- ¿Te sientes solo(a) cuando no estás con tus amigos?Do you feel lonely when you're not with your friends?
- Los fines de semana, a menudo me siento sola(o) sin mis amigos cerca.On weekends, I often feel lonely without my friends around.
- 64 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are talking about their lifestyle choices at a cafe.
- LucíaÉl tiene un estilo de vida muy solitario.He has a very lonely lifestyle.
- JavierSí, pero él prefiere estar así.Yes, but he prefers being that way.
- LucíaNo quiero ser una mujer tan solitaria.I don't want to be such a lonely woman.
- JavierNo te preocupes, Lucía, siempre estaré contigo.Don't worry, Lucía, I will always be with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lonely” translations and entries solitario, solo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries solitario, solo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
