1
: one that avoids others: such as
a
: a person who is often alone or likes to be alone : someone who usually avoids the company of others
He is a moody loner who doesn't become chummy with anyone.—
Sam Moses
Sam MosesMany rowers will agree that sculling is a sport for loners who relish the more quixotic elements of the sport.—D. C. Churbuck
D. C. Churbuck… she found that the image of the scientist as an antisocial loner is a myth …—Warren E. Leary
Warren E. Leary
b
: a typically solitary animal
Black bears are loners and usually wander by themselves in search of food.—Mark Carwardine
Mark CarwardineDespite the fact they are loners, cats do have a well-organized social system based on scent marks and mutual avoidance.—Fiona Sunquist
Fiona SunquistExamples of loner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tapping celebrity guests like A$AP Rocky and Tame Impala for an album of silky cosmic funk, Thundercat channels the id of the geeky, emotionally maladjusted loner.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
All her work until then, has been as a loner.
—Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2026
Zim is the loner, the social outcast.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
In a basketball world filled with brash personalities, the KU freshman describes himself as a loner.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for loner
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
All her work until then, has been as a loner.
—Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2026
Zim is the loner, the social outcast.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
In a basketball world filled with brash personalities, the KU freshman describes himself as a loner.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for loner
Cite this Entry
“Loner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loner. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
loner
noun
lon·er
ˈlō-nər 
: one that avoids others
especially
: individualist sense 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
