forlorn
desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance.
lonely and sad; forsaken.
expressive of hopelessness; despairing: forlorn glances.
bereft; destitute: forlorn of comfort.
Origin of forlorn
1synonym study For forlorn
Other words for forlorn
Opposites for forlorn
1 | happy |
2 | accompanied |
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
Each mini-chapter here begins with a question, followed by what feels like a personal answer written specifically to the forlorn rather than to the world — in a story, really, but one that’s relatable.
The roof is missing and the whole island appeared forlorn and desolate.
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, returning to a changed but resilient St. John | Bob Drogin | June 25, 2021 | Washington PostThe artist’s mother has a recurring role, and the show’s title comes from a forlorn message on an electronic sign outside the local middle school.
In the galleries: Exploring how body language is a visual form of communication | Mark Jenkins | June 11, 2021 | Washington PostPatrick Hamlin is a forlorn East Coast writer who heads west and is quickly disillusioned by the seedy underbelly of Hollywood.
The piece concludes with “Your Blanket,” a forlorn ballad played over watercolor illustrations that capture life’s simple elegance.
Digital theater productions highlight the power of art without an audience | Thomas Floyd | May 7, 2021 | Washington Post
Today, a forlorn air hangs over Santa Maria degli Angeli, like a graveyard where ghosts are buried.
The Venetian Nuns Who Ditched Their Habits for High Fashion | Liza Foreman | September 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe roads are forlorn, the landscape barren, the forests menacing.
Holocaust Horrors Haunt the Films ‘Ida’ And ‘The German Doctor’ | Jack Schwartz | May 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe could not shake the image of that forlorn, mistreated horse.
That process is indeed likely to be prolonged, and maybe forlorn for some time to come.
He looked as forlorn as might be expected of a retired cop who finds himself the one behind bars.
Ex-Cop’s Shooting of Texting Moviegoer Ends in Tragedy | Michael Daly | January 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST"I wasn't joking last night when I told Goodell that this was something of a forlorn hope," he said.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair"The high and mighty sent me out to lead a forlorn hope," Mac dryly responded.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairIt ended in a broad open moor, stony; and full of damp boggy hollows, forlorn and desolate under the autumn sky.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte YongeThe same old battalions being called on again and again to do the forlorn hope sort of business.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonI was more than ready to take her place; you actually stirred my maternal instincts when you arrived, you looked so forlorn.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
British Dictionary definitions for forlorn
/ (fəˈlɔːn) /
miserable, wretched, or cheerless; desolate
deserted; forsaken
(postpositive foll by of) destitute; bereft: forlorn of hope
desperate: the last forlorn attempt
Origin of forlorn
1Derived forms of forlorn
- forlornly, adverb
- forlornness, noun
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
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