forlorn

American  

[fawr-lawrn] / fɔrˈlɔrn /

adjective

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

   Synonyms:

   comfortless, woebegone, helpless, pitiable, pitiful

   Antonyms:

   happy

2. lonely and sad; forsaken.

   Synonyms:

   solitary, lost, alone

3. expressive of hopelessness; despairing.

   forlorn glances.

4. bereft; destitute.

   forlorn of comfort.

   Synonyms:

   deprived

---

forlorn British  

/ fəˈlɔːn /

adjective

1. miserable, wretched, or cheerless; desolate

2. deserted; forsaken

3. destitute; bereft

   forlorn of hope

4. desperate

   the last forlorn attempt

---

Related Words

See desolate.

Other Word Forms

• forlornly adverb
• forlornness noun
• unforlorn adjective

Etymology

Origin of forlorn

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

Example Sentences

He performed a backflip for the crowd's entertainment, but it seemed like a forlorn call to the good times of only last week.

From BBC

Well, I guess I got so droopy and forlorn looking, Mama decided she wanted to see exactly what was going on in Ms. Myers’s classroom.

From Literature

Boo gives me a forlorn wave, tears running down her cheeks.

From Literature

Starting to sound forlorn, she says, “At this point, I’m just ready just to say, ‘stop tearing up my gates.

From The Wall Street Journal

Only a certified Grinch would want to see Auggie left as anxious and forlorn at the end of the show as he is at his lowest moments.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• depressed
• deserted
• desolate
• desperate
• despondent
• destitute
• helpless
• lonely
• miserable
• oppressed
• pathetic
• pitiful