lonely

[lohn-lee]

See more synonyms for lonely on Thesaurus.com

adjective, lone·li·er, lone·li·est.

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.
standing apart; isolated: a lonely tower.

Origin of lonely

First recorded in 1600–10; lone + -ly

Related formslone·li·ly, adverblone·li·ness, lone·li·hood, nounun·lone·ly, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

4. uninhabited, unpopulated. 5. secluded.

Synonym study

1. See alone.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for loneliness

Contemporary Examples

She spent almost two years in a nursing home – two years of loneliness she would like to forget.
Care Providers Fight for $15 and a Union
Jasmin Almodovar, Shirley Thompson
December 5, 2014
It suggests that love and loneliness are not separate things.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine
Tom Arnold-Forster
November 3, 2014
These include tips on how to avoid boredom, loneliness, frustration, and anxiety.
Zen, Motorcycles, And The Cult of Tech: How Robert Pirsig’s Classic Anticipated the Future
Nathaniel Rich
August 31, 2014
You feel a horrible, self-punishing sense of isolation and loneliness.
We're Talking About Depression All Wrong
Jean Kim
August 20, 2014
That incorporates all of the happiness—beaches, sledding, love—and pain—war, death, loneliness.
Why 'The Giver' Movie Will Disappoint the Book's Fans
Kevin Fallon
August 15, 2014

Historical Examples

It's the cursed fear of loneliness and the fear of having time to think.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
But into his loneliness and despair the girl had came like a ray of light.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
To-night—to-night, he is rocking just the same, in silence, in loneliness.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
He felt reassured in a measure, but a sense of loneliness filled him.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
I should die of misery and fright and loneliness in this awful jungle.
The Monster Men
Edgar Rice Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for loneliness

lonely

adjective -lier or -liest

unhappy as a result of being without the companionship of othersa lonely man
causing or resulting from the state of being alonea lonely existence
isolated, unfrequented, or desolate
without companions; solitary

Derived Formsloneliness, 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

Word Origin and History for loneliness

n.

1580s, from lonely + -ness.

lonely

adj.

c.1600, "solitary, lone," from lone + -ly (1). Meaning "dejected for want of company" is from 1811. Lonely heart (n.) "a lonely-hearted person" is from 1922. Lonely hearted (adj.) is attested from 1820.

lonely

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}lonely

Synonyms

Synonym study

Related Words

Examples from the Web for loneliness

Contemporary Examples

She spent almost two years in a nursing home – two years of loneliness she would like to forget.

It suggests that love and loneliness are not separate things.

These include tips on how to avoid boredom, loneliness, frustration, and anxiety.

You feel a horrible, self-punishing sense of isolation and loneliness.

That incorporates all of the happiness—beaches, sledding, love—and pain—war, death, loneliness.

Historical Examples

It's the cursed fear of loneliness and the fear of having time to think.

But into his loneliness and despair the girl had came like a ray of light.

To-night—to-night, he is rocking just the same, in silence, in loneliness.

He felt reassured in a measure, but a sense of loneliness filled him.

I should die of misery and fright and loneliness in this awful jungle.

lonely

Word Origin and History for loneliness

n.

lonely

adj.

Origin of lonely