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History of solitude is a field of research that has not received much attention in medieval studies. Most of the work focuses on religious history, while solitary lay people have been studied in a fragmented manner, without offering an overview of the solitaries’ experiences of solitude. Centred on the example of late medieval Montpellier, this article reflects on the different meanings of “solitude” (i.e. the fact of being alone, social isolation, the feeling and desire of loneliness), and on the ways in which they intersected and were connected to each other. The triptych alone/isolation/loneliness is significant as it enables the study of solitude as a demographic fact, a social situation and an emotional experience. The first section of the article, based on wills and fiscal sources, aims to evaluate the ratio of solitary persons in the city, its chronological variances, and the demographic profile of individuals. The second section looks at social isolation, social status and social interactions. The last section of the article, grounded in cases study, investigates solitude as an emotion and a feeling, and is based on case study.