Meaning of single-handedly in English

single-handedly

adverb

/ˌsɪŋ.ɡəlˈhæn.dɪd.li/ us

/ˌsɪŋ.ɡəlˈhæn.dɪd.li/

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without any help from anyone else:

She single-handedly supported the family after her husband’s death.

He has single-handedly revived flagging public interest in motor racing.

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single-handed

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

without help

(all) by yourselfI don't think I can fix the car alone - can you help?
(all) on your ownUK I learnt the song all on my own.
single-handedlyShe single-handedly saved the company from bankruptcy.
unassistedAfter years of using a cane, intensive physio enabled her to walk unassisted.
unaidedAfter six months of treatment I can finally walk unaided.
independentlyThe charity helps people to live independently.

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More examplesFewer examples

She researches, writes, and designs everything almost single-handedly.
He was almost single-handedly responsible for bringing coffee culture to the UK.
The new product single-handedly saved the firm from oblivion.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Unaided and working alone

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(Definition of single-handedly from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of single-handedly

single-handedly

In this way one man could single-handedly control everything that went on among the confined prisoners from his panoptical position in the tower.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The ever-rising levels of electoral competition forced him to concede statutory limits to his historical right single-handedly to choose his successor.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

That reluctance played a role in the first forced election and single-handedly caused the second.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

A pitcher who is dominant can single-handedly score a victory without much help from his mates.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Sometimes, one particular human being can be shown beyond a reasonable doubt to have created a particular well-defined text single-handedly.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Few causes stir red the emotions of townspeople like the rising cost of bread, which could single-handedly mean the difference between privation and prosperity for most of the population.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Fourth, there is no person in the group for whom the individual benefit of the good is great enough to outweigh the cost of that person single-handedly draining the meadow.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Almost single-handedly he invented the concept of a pre-judgment court order to prevent defendants dissipating their assets before judgment could be given against them.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

While patients are trained to be self-reliant and to operate the machine single-handedly, in practice most patients need the assistance of a helper.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

This optimism about one authority single-handedly bringing about social change does not square with our view of the matter.

From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English

If he is to pursue these aims single-handedly using monetary means alone, he will undoubtedly create more unemployment.

From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English

But we cannot expect teachers to do all that single-handedly, even with such support, against the grain of contemporary society.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

The sensitive and self-conscious population was disappointed when a neighbouring, friendly country single-handedly blocked the continuation of the accession negotiations.

From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English

Trafficking in human beings is a serious international crime that no one government can tackle single-handedly.

From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English

He has single-handedly made the case for an inquiry.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

See all examples of single-handedly

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of single-handedly?