sole

CEFRB2

/səʊl/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Being the only one.

  2. 02

    noun

    The bottom part of a foot or shoe.

Examples

  • My sole idea was to get there as fast as possible.

  • The sole surviving member of the family

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [sɒʊɫ]
  • /soʊl/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings
  1. Unique; unsurpassed.

  2. Unmarried (especially of a woman); widowed.

  3. With independent power; unfettered.

More examples

In context
  • That's my sole concern.

  • The sole brilliance of this gem.

  • A sole authority.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank person to survive the plane crash was a young child.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English sole, soule, from Old French sol, soul (“alone”), from Latin sōlus (“alone, single, solitary, lonely”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (reflexive pronoun). Perhaps related to Old Latin sollus (“whole, complete”), from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“safe, healthy”). More at save.