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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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Explanation

Sniff, sniff, boo-hoo...use the adjective forlorn to express loneliness and feeling left out. When someone is forlorn, it means that they not only feel miserable but simultaneously desolate because they believe they are alone. Forlorn is a very old word in English, and in fact it comes from the Old English word forlesen and means "to lose completely." Synonyms for forlorn all have fairly sad meanings: disconsolate, pessimistic, despairing, despondent, abandoned, depressed, desperate.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing forlorn

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.

Russell slotted over the conversion and his late missed penalty was irrelevant as Scotland celebrated and Wales were left forlorn.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

“America is rich and fat and very, very noticeable in this world. It is a forlorn hope that we should be left alone.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

Auger-Aliassime reeled off five successive games against an increasingly forlorn Bublik, taking his first match point with a thumping cross-court forehand.

From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025

West Indies skipper Hope, and the man he succeeded in the form of Powell, at least showed some fight during what always looked to be a forlorn effort.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2025

The door opens, and as he disappears into the hallway and pulls it shut, I hear Freddie’s forlorn falsetto float into the air.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone