Solitary

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From the Latin solus, meaning alone.

A solitary person, animal or object is one which is not usually in the companionship of others of its type. Solitary activities are those which do not require (or indeed preclude) the presence of others, such as walking, listening to music, cooking or painting.

Those who find renewed personal vigor through engaging in solitary activities are often referred to as introverts; as opposed to extroverts, who find renewed vigor is more likely to follow engagement in activities based upon interpersonal contact.

Over time small groups of solitary people have grown up as the numbers of places they can go without encountering other groups has forced them into a smaller number of places. These small communities are unusual in that their sole shared trait is often that they don't want to be imposed on by anyone else. They may in fact, band together to evict people from a place, if the person is breaking that unspoken code, or if there is a danger to the places they like to hang out at!

In a penal setting, the term "in solitary" often refers to being punished through forced solitary confinement.

Some animals live a mostly solitary life, only looking for others in mating season, e.g. feral cats and bears.