lonely
Americanadjective
-
lonelier,
comparative
-
loneliest
superlative
-
affected with, characterized by, or causing a depressing feeling of being alone; lonesome.
-
destitute of sympathetic or friendly companionship, intercourse, support, etc..
a lonely exile.
-
lone; solitary; without company; companionless.
-
remote from places of human habitation; desolate; unfrequented; bleak.
a lonely road.
- Synonyms:
- unpopulated, uninhabited
-
standing apart; isolated.
a lonely tower.
- Synonyms:
- secluded
adjective
-
unhappy as a result of being without the companionship of others
a lonely man
-
causing or resulting from the state of being alone
a lonely existence
-
isolated, unfrequented, or desolate
-
without companions; solitary
Synonym Usage
See alone.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of lonely
Explanation
There are a few definitions of lonely but they all share the same qualities: solitude, the absence of human company, and not a lot of exciting stuff going on. If being alone makes you sad, that’s one definition of lonely: the depressing feeling you get when no one else is around. Being alone doesn’t have to be a bummer, and sometimes lonely simply means preferring to be by yourself, like the lonely poet who takes long walks in the woods. Mars is a lonely planet because no life can survive there, and on a cross country trip you’ll drive down many long and lonely roads.
Vocabulary lists containing lonely
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For instance, people who felt lonely may have sought out more interaction, even when those encounters did not provide the support they needed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
There’s a quiet comfort in knowing your neighbors, especially in a sprawling, sometimes lonely city like Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Feeling "lonely and shameful" and wondering if it was a "me problem", she posted on social media asking whether other women her age were having the same experience.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Hiking through Sabino Canyon beneath towering saguaro cactuses, the empty trails felt vast and lonely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
“Doubt it. I’ve got four years of trophies at home and they’d be right lonely without this year’s. I know how to catch anything and everything.”
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Naomi, 30, from Pembrokeshire, has spent more than a decade navigating non-monogamous relationships and said having a very good calendar is key and, ironically, the reality is far lonelier than people might expect.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
That stance is getting lonelier as hard- drive stocks continue their ascent.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
For all the strides society has made during the course of his career toward acceptance and inclusivity, he also sees that patients are lonelier than they used to be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls this the most isolated generation, with young American men significantly lonelier than peers in other countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
Spending time with Rabia has somehow made me even lonelier.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
“I mean, sometimes the loneliest place for someone like that is in a crowded room,” Rausch observes in recognizing the sensitivity of a fellow introvert.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
Mike Alfred had become convinced by 2021 that he was on to a great idea: building huge data centers for bitcoin mining in some of the loneliest spots in Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
“L.A. is the loneliest and most brutal of American cities,” it reads, echoing a common critique of one of the world’s most misunderstood urban areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025
"I went in voluntarily and it was just the loneliest feeling in the world getting dropped off at a mental health ward with a bag and no baby," the 35-year-old said.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2025
“Beneath me there was nothing but snow and ice. Here lay the Hardanger Plateau, the largest, loneliest, and wildest mountain area in north ern Europe.”
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
