lone wolf
19
5.0
- noun
- /loʊn wʊlf/
:
lobo solitario
- As a lone wolf, she often completed her projects without any collaboration.
- lone wolf jihadist
And, and one thing I will say, having been an ex lone wolf, I was a lone wolf.
- And, and one thing I will say, having been an ex lone wolf, I was a lone wolf.
- And how did that make you feel then, you being the the lone wolf, trying to push this all through?
- So that's six more months where there's more lone wolf terrorists who are doing this type of thing.
- We also so far, thank God, have not seen significant lone wolf terror attacks against Americans inside the United States or in the region.
- Like I'm kind of this lone wolf guy who just kind of does his own thing and and I'm having serious FOMO about the New York Marathon with New York City Marathon, which was.
Examples
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I'm a bit of a-- a bit of a lone wolf myself.
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You know I've always been a lone wolf.
Blog text (4) -
Bit of a lone wolf, kept to myself.
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How much longer are you gonna keep up this lone wolf act?
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See, I was kind of a lone wolf in my day.
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To be most effective in this job, I have to be a bit of a lone wolf.
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I have largely been a lone wolf.
Blog text (13) -
You're a lone wolf.
Fiction book (1992) -
You keep too much to yourself—you’re a lone wolf.
Fiction book (1991) -
He has always been a lone wolf, preferring to work alone rather than in a team.
Synonyms
79
4.2
A person who prefers to be alone and avoids spending time with others
39
7.4
A person who thinks and acts independently, not following usual rules
8
6.3
A person who prefers to think and act independently
3
7.7
A person who acts alone to solve problems
1
7.2
A person who lives alone and avoids the company of others
A person who prefers to act or be alone without help
A person who is alone and looks for adventure or love
Antonyms
How Solitary
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'lone' (alone) + 'wolf' (an animal often thought of in packs), so the phrase transparently evokes a solitary person who acts alone. This animal-based metaphor is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'lobo solitario'), so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the intended sense.
Etymology
Lone wolf comes from the picture of a wolf away from its pack, truly lone and hunting on its own. Because such a wolf acts alone, the phrase now means 'a person who prefers to act or work alone'.