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View synonyms for

single-handed

[ sing-guhl-han-did ]

adjective

  1. accomplished or done by one person alone:

    a single-handed victory; single-handed sailing.

  2. by one's own effort; unaided.


adverb

  1. by oneself; alone; without aid:

    He built the garage single-handed.

single-handed

adjective

  1. unaided or working alone

    a single-handed crossing of the Atlantic

  2. having or operated by one hand or one person only
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˌԲ-ˈ󲹲Ի, adverb
  • ˌԲ-ˈ󲹲ԻԱ, noun
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Other yvlog Forms

  • g-󲹲ԻĻ·Ա noun
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of single-handed1

First recorded in 1700–10
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"She has single-handedly raised him to be one of the nicest people I have known."

From

The whole movement against CRT was the brainchild of a right-wing activist by the name of Christopher Rufo, who single-handedly pushed the idea into the mainstream in 2020, during the pandemic.

From

At the other end, the Italian's opposite number Alisson produced the "performance of his career" as he single-handedly kept the French side at bay in Paris.

From

The scene in which Anderson single-handedly faces down both the corrupt deputy and the Klan’s most murderous henchman is a master class in range.

From

He’s since become a regional force in his own right — one single-handedly responsible for burnishing his brother’s legacy.

From

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More About Single Handed

What doessingle-handed mean?

Single-handed is used to describe something done or accomplished alone—without help from anyone, as in a single-handed attempt.

It can also be used as an adverb meaning the same thing as single-handedly, as in Carol completed the project single-handed—she did every last thing herself.

Single-handed is also used in situations in which someone has done something without help from anyone else even though they were available, as in She beat the other team single-handed—scoring the final 15 points of the game by herself.

Example: This usually takes three or four people, so how did you manage to do it single-handed?

Where doessingle-handed come from?

The first records of the term single-handed come from the 1700s. Single-handed and the adverb form single-handedly come from the concept of something being done by one pair of hands—that is, one person.

Single-handed is often used to emphasize the impressiveness of something having been performed by one person. It is used to highlight the fact that the task normally requires a group of people to do.

For this reason, single-handed is commonly used in hyperbolic descriptions of a person’s abilities or of the difficulty of the task they accomplished, as in Her single-handed voyage changed history.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to single-handed?

What are some synonyms for single-handed?

What are some words that share a root or word element with single-handed?

What are some words that often get used in discussing single-handed?

How issingle-handed used in real life?

Single-handed is used to indicate that someone accomplished a (usually impressive) task by themselves.

Try usingsingle-handed!

Is single-handed used correctly in the following sentence?

The carpenter managed to repair the bridge single-handed, with help from his assistants.

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