two solitudes

noun

The historical and, by some accounts, current dysfunctional relationship between the Anglophone and Francophone groups in Canada, characterized by poor communication and mutual exclusion.

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Meanings

nountwo solitudes pl (plural only)
  1. Canadapluralplural onlysocial criticismThe historical and, by some accounts, current dysfunctional relationship between the Anglophone and Francophone groups in Canada, characterized by poor communication and mutual exclusion.

    Montreal, where French and English have not merged but coexist in ‘two solitudes,’ has Latin flair but British solidity.

    1976, J. Wreford Watson, “Review: The Development of the Canadian City”, in The Geographical Journal, volume 142, number 3, page 509
    2 more examples

    [I]t may be pleaded that scholastic philosophy as it exists in Quebec has neither influenced, nor been influenced by, the development of modern philosophy elsewhere throughout the country during the last hundred years. Philosophically, Canada is a land of "two solitudes."

    1951, John A. Irving, “Philosophical Trends in Canada Between 1850 and 1950”, in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, volume 12, number 2, page 224

    In tracing the development of the discipline in twentieth century Canada, it became evident that demography had progressed through a number of periods. The years to 1950 represented a period of parallel and fairly independent growth in English-speaking and French-speaking regions, with little contact and communication; it is best described as a period of "one science, two solitudes."

    2001, Sylvia T. Wargon, “Connections: Demography and Sociology in Twentieth Century Canada”, in The Canadian Journal of Sociology, volume 26, number 3, page 317

Origin

First used by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) and applied to Canadian society in the title of a 1945 novel by Canadian author Hugh MacLennan.

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Cite this entry
APA

two solitudes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/two%20solitudes

MLA

“two solitudes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/two%20solitudes. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “two solitudes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/two%20solitudes.

Source: two solitudes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.