Single — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ˈsiŋ-gəl/ sin·gle

Meaning & Definition of Single

Single (adjective)

  1. not married
  2. of or relating to celibacy
  3. unaccompanied by others, lone, sole

Single (noun)

  1. a separate individual person or thing
  2. an unmarried person and especially one young and socially active —usually used in plural
  3. a recording having one short tune on each side

Single (verb)

  1. to select or distinguish from a number or group —usually used with out
  2. to advance or score (a base runner) by a single
  3. to bring about the scoring of (a run) by a single

Single (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not married

    "there was such a shortage of single men in the neighborhood that he had his pick of girlfriends"

    similar: unattached, unmarried, unwed
    related: fancy-free, footloose, marriageable, unpaired, divorced, separated
    opposite: attached, espoused, hitched, married, wedded
    near: mated, paired, affianced, betrothed, committed, engaged, pledged, promised, remarried

  2. belonging only to the one person, unit, or group named

    "any view expressed on the newspaper's editorial pages is the single opinion of the writer of the column"

    similar: exclusive, sole, unshared
    related: proprietary, personal, private
    opposite: nonexclusive
    near: common, communal, conjoint, cooperative, joint, multiple, mutual, pooled, public, shared, united

  3. not physically attached to another unit

    "the average price of single homes in the area"

    similar: detached, disconnected, discrete, free, freestanding, separate, unattached, unconnected
    related: independent, self-contained, individual, private
    opposite: attached, connected, joined, linked
    near: adjoining

  4. not being in the company of others

    "a restaurant where the single diner is made to feel welcome and given the same level of service as couples or groups"

    similar: alone, lone, lonely, lonesome, solitary, solo, unaccompanied, on one's own
    related: unattended, unchaperoned, forlorn, friendless, cloistered, disassociated, hermetic, insulated, isolate, isolated, remote, retired, secluded, withdrawn, quarantined, segregated, separated, sequestered, separate, unattached, unconnected, unlinked, detached, disconnected, disjointed, dissociated, disunited, divided, fractionated, abandoned, adrift, deserted, desolate, forgotten, forsaken, lorn, neglected
    opposite: accompanied
    near: attended, chaperoned, escorted, adjacent, adjoining, communicating, contiguous, neighboring, next-door, attached, connected, coupled, linked

Single (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in individual

    similar: individual
    opposite: array, band, batch, battery, body, boodle, bunch, cluster, clutch, consort, constellation, crop, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, parcel, party, passel, assembly, collective, congregation, gathering, muster, organization, circle, clan, clique, coterie, fellowship, gang, ring, round, set

  2. as in unit, item

    similar: entity, item, unit
    opposite: array, assemblage, band, bank, batch, battery, block, bunch, clot, clump, cluster, clutch, collection, constellation, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, muster, package, parcel, passel, set, suite, accumulation, aggregate, aggregation, conglomeration, agglomeration, assortment, hodgepodge, jumble, miscellany, mixture, odds and ends, sundries, variety

  3. as in bachelor, maid

    similar: bachelorette, maid, maiden, spinster, bachelor, ex
    opposite: better half, consort, mate, partner, significant other, spouse, soulmate, domestic partner

Related Entry: Single (out) (verb)

Single (out) is a different word from Single. The synonyms below are for single (out), not for single.

  1. to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities

    "she quickly singled out the most qualified candidate from the pool of the applicants"

    similar: cherry-pick, choose, cull, elect, handpick, name, opt (for), pick, prefer, select, tag, take
    related: preselect, appoint, designate, fix, mark, nominate, set, tab, tap, accept, adopt, embrace, espouse, settle (on or upon)
    opposite: decline, refuse, reject, turn down
    near: disapprove, negative, repudiate, spurn, discard, jettison, throw away, throw out

  2. to find out or establish the identity of

    "through careful reasoning and the process of elimination, neighbors singled her out as the writer of the anonymous letter"

    similar: distinguish, finger, ID, identify, pinpoint, put one's finger on
    related: diagnose, determine, find, locate, pick out, place, recognize, spot, check, examine, inspect, investigate, notice, observe, scrutinize, betray, disclose, discover, reveal
    near: camouflage, conceal, disguise, hide, counterfeit, feign, sham, simulate

Related Entry: Single-handed (adverb)

Single-handed is a different word from Single. The synonyms below are for single-handed, not for single.

  1. without aid or support

    "she was adamant that if she was expected to do the project single-handed, she should not have to share the credit afterward"

    similar: alone, independently, single-handedly, singly, solely, unaided, unassisted, by one's own bootstraps, on one's own, on one's own hook, on one's own initiative
    related: individually, separately, solo
    near: collectively, conjointly, cooperatively, hand in glove, hand in hand, jointly, mutually, together, en masse

Related Entry: Single-handedly (adverb)

Single-handedly is a different word from Single. The synonyms below are for single-handedly, not for single.

  1. without aid or support

    "the team's star slugger hit three home runs, effectively winning the game single-handedly"

    similar: alone, independently, single-handed, singly, solely, unaided, unassisted, by one's own bootstraps, on one's own, on one's own hook, on one's own initiative
    related: individually, separately, solo
    near: collectively, conjointly, cooperatively, hand in glove, hand in hand, jointly, mutually, together, en masse

Related Entry: Single-minded (adjective)

Single-minded is a different word from Single. The synonyms below are for single-minded, not for single.

  1. fully committed to achieving a goal

    "every successful reform movement has been spearheaded by a single-minded activist who refused to accept defeat"

    similar: bent (on or upon), bound, decisive, determined, do-or-die, firm, hell-bent (on or upon), intent, out, purposeful, resolute, resolved, set, on one's mettle
    related: bitter, vehement, certain, cocksure, confident, positive, sure, earnest, serious, steady, unfaltering, unhesitating, unswerving, unwavering, adamant, adamantine, dogged, hard, hardened, hardheaded, headstrong, immovable, implacable, inflexible, mulish, obdurate, persistent, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, rigid, self-willed, stubborn, tenacious, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful
    opposite: faltering, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, undetermined, unresolved, vacillating, wavering, weak-kneed
    near: distrustful, doubtful, dubious, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious, uncertain, unconvinced, undecided, unsettled, unsure, disinclined, indisposed, loath, reluctant

Related Entry: Single combat (noun)

Single combat is a different word from Single. The synonyms below are for single combat, not for single.

  1. as in fire, attack

    similar: attack, fire, firefight, pitched battle, action, battle, combat, field, hostilities, operations, warfare, duty, service

Related Entry: Single tax (noun)

Single tax is a different word from Single. The synonyms below are for single tax, not for single.

  1. as in property tax, income tax

    similar: capitation, custom(s), excise, hidden tax, income tax, poll tax, property tax, sales tax, sin tax, tariff, toll, tribute, value-added tax, withholding tax, assessment, duty, imposition, impost, levy, tax, direct tax, personal tax, supertax, surcharge, surtax, death tax, estate tax, inheritance tax, flat tax, proportional tax

Related Entry: Single taxes (noun)

Single taxes is a different word from Single. The synonyms below are for single taxes, not for single.

  1. as in property taxes, income taxes

    similar: capitations, customs, excises, hidden taxes, income taxes, poll taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, sin taxes, tariffs, tolls, tributes, value-added taxes, withholding taxes, assessments, duties, impositions, imposts, levies, taxes, direct taxes, personal taxes, supertaxes, surcharges, surtaxes, death taxes, estate taxes, inheritance taxes, flat taxes, proportional taxes

Related Entry: Single-mindedness (noun)

Single-mindedness is a different word from Single. The synonyms below are for single-mindedness, not for single.

  1. as in relentlessness, perseverance

    similar: adamancy, determination, implacability, inexorability, inflexibility, inveteracy, perseverance, persistence, persistency, relentlessness, resolve, steadfastness, stick-to-itiveness, tenaciousness, tenacity, anal-retentiveness, perverseness, perversity, waywardness, wrongheadedness, firmness, hardness, rigor, rigorousness, sternness, strictness, bullheadedness, doggedness, hardheadedness, intransigence, mulishness, obduracy, obdurateness, obstinacy, obstinateness, opinionatedness, pertinaciousness, pertinacity, pigheadedness, self-opinionatedness, self-will, stubbornness, willfulness, narrow-mindedness, rigidity, rigidness, bloody-mindedness (chiefly British), cantankerousness, contrariness, cussedness, balkiness, contumacy, defiance, disobedience, frowardness, immovability, immovableness, insubordination, intractability, obstreperousness, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, recalcitrancy, refractoriness, unruliness
    opposite: broad-mindedness, open-mindedness, reasonability, reasonableness, receptiveness, receptivity, acceptance, acquiescence, flexibility, pliability, pliableness, pliancy, pliantness, compliance, docility, obedience, subordinateness, subordination, submission, surrender, willingness, yielding, slavishness, subservience, subserviency

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Single

The most common words with a similar meaning to Single:

unattached, unmarried, unwed, exclusive, sole, unshared, detached, disconnected, discrete, free, freestanding, separate, unconnected, alone, lone, lonely, lonesome, solitary, solo, unaccompanied, on one's own, individual, entity, item, unit, bachelorette, maid, maiden, spinster, bachelor, ex

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Single

Words with the opposite meaning of Single:

attached, espoused, hitched, married, wedded, nonexclusive, connected, joined, linked, accompanied, array, band, batch, battery, body, boodle, bunch, cluster, clutch, consort, constellation, crop, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, parcel, party, passel

Related Words for Single

fancy-free, footloose, marriageable, unpaired, divorced, separated, proprietary, personal, private, independent, self-contained, unattended, unchaperoned, forlorn, friendless, cloistered, disassociated, hermetic, insulated, isolate, isolated, remote, retired, secluded, withdrawn, quarantined, segregated, sequestered, unlinked, disjointed

Near Antonyms of Single

mated, paired, affianced, betrothed, committed, engaged, pledged, promised, remarried, common, communal, conjoint, cooperative, joint, multiple, mutual, pooled, public, shared, united, adjoining, attended, chaperoned, escorted, adjacent, communicating, contiguous, neighboring, next-door, coupled

Word Forms of Single

Inflections: singled, singling

Origin & Etymology of Single

Middle English sengle, from Anglo-French, from Latin singulus one only; akin to Latin sem- one same

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Single

Words & Phrases Containing Single

single-action, single-blind, single bond, single-breasted, single combat, single cross, single entry

Frequently Asked Questions about Single

What does "Single" mean?

"Single" means not married. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: not married. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Single"?

Other words for "Single" include unattached, unmarried, unwed, exclusive, sole, unshared, detached and disconnected. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Single" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Single"?

There are 73 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Single". Common alternatives include unattached, unmarried, unwed, exclusive, sole, unshared, detached, disconnected, discrete and free.

What is the opposite of "Single"?

Antonyms of "Single" include attached, espoused, hitched, married, wedded, nonexclusive, connected and joined. Near antonyms include mated, paired, affianced and betrothed.

How do you use "Single" in a sentence?

Examples of "Single" in a sentence: "there was such a shortage of single men in the neighborhood that he had his pick of girlfriends"; "any view expressed on the newspaper's editorial pages is the single opinion of the writer of the column"; "the average price of single homes in the area".

Is "Single" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Single" can be used as an adjective, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Single" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Single" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Single"?

"Single" is pronounced /ˈsiŋ-gəl/ and divided into syllables as sin·gle.