forlorn

[ fawr-lawrn ]
See synonyms for: forlornforlornlyforlornness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance.

  2. lonely and sad; forsaken.

  1. expressive of hopelessness; despairing: forlorn glances.

  2. bereft; destitute: forlorn of comfort.

Origin of forlorn

1
First recorded before 1150; Middle English foreloren “lost completely,” past participle of forlesen “to lose completely,” Old English forlēosan; cognate with Old High German firliosan (German verlieren ), Gothic fraliusan; equivalent to for- + lorn

synonym study For forlorn

2. See desolate.

Other words for forlorn

Opposites for forlorn

Other words from forlorn

  • for·lorn·ly, adverb
  • for·lorn·ness, noun
  • un·for·lorn, adjective

Words Nearby forlorn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use forlorn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for forlorn

forlorn

/ (fəˈlɔːn) /


adjective
  1. miserable, wretched, or cheerless; desolate

  2. deserted; forsaken

  1. (postpositive foll by of) destitute; bereft: forlorn of hope

  2. desperate: the last forlorn attempt

Origin of forlorn

1
Old English forloren lost, from forlēosan to lose; related to Old Saxon farliosan, Gothic fraliusan, Greek luein to release

Derived forms of forlorn

  • forlornly, adverb
  • forlornness, noun

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