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Glite Dictionary
to plough a lonely furrow

to plough a lonely furrow

9.9
To work alone on something despite difficulty or opposition
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : seguir un camino solitario
  • Despite criticism, she continued to plough a lonely furrow in her research.

Examples

  • He decided to plough a lonely furrow in his career.

  • Throughout his career, he has chosen to plough a lonely furrow rather than join popular movements.

  • The writer ploughed a lonely furrow, resisting commercial trends in literature.

  • Sometimes, it's necessary to plough a lonely furrow for your beliefs.

  • Despite the challenges he faced, he continued to plough a lonely furrow in his pursuit of social change.

  • She decided to plough a lonely furrow by advocating for environmental protections even when others disagreed.

  • In a room full of critics, he resolutely ploughed a lonely furrow to defend his innovative ideas.

Synonyms

to go it alone
vsto plough a lonely furrow
  • Informal
26 5.3

To do something without help from other people

often faces difficulty or active opposition while persisting
to fend for oneself
vsto plough a lonely furrow
  • Informal
16 5.6

Look after yourself without help from others

involves pursuing a difficult course despite opposition rather than mere self care
to go one's own way
vsto plough a lonely furrow
5 6.2

Choose your own path in life

focuses on persisting despite opposition rather than mere personal choice
to lone it
vsto plough a lonely furrow
  • UK
9.9

To do something alone without help

means sustained solitary effort despite opposition rather than brief solitude

Antonyms

to collaborate
96 4.6

To work with other people to reach a shared goal

to join forces
57 3.4

To work together with others to achieve a common goal

How Alone

to go it alone
  • Informal
26 5.3
to plough a lonely furrow
  • UK
9.9

Surface Forms

plough a lonely furrow infinitive
ploughing a lonely furrow present participle
ploughs a lonely furrow third person singular
ploughed a lonely furrow past
ploughed a lonely furrow past participle

Morphology

plow + a + lonely + furrow

The phrase literally evokes ploughing a single trench alone, so a learner who knows 'plough/plow', 'lonely' and 'furrow' can infer a solitary or single-track action from the constituents. However, the fuller idiomatic sense — persisting alone despite difficulty or opposition — is a figurative extension and not fully predictable, and the low frequency of 'furrow' further reduces immediate transparency for B1 learners.

Etymology

Plough a lonely furrow paints the picture of a farmer with a single plough making one long furrow alone across an empty field. That's why it means 'to do something alone' or 'to continue with little support'.