lonely

[lohn-lee]

adjective

lonelier, loneliest 

1. affected with, characterized by, or causing a depressing feeling of being alone; lonesome.

2. destitute of sympathetic or friendly companionship, intercourse, support, etc..

   a lonely exile.

3. lone; solitary; without company; companionless.

4. remote from places of human habitation; desolate; unfrequented; bleak.

   a lonely road.

   Synonyms: unpopulated, uninhabited

5. standing apart; isolated.

   a lonely tower.

   Synonyms: secluded

lonely

/ ˈləʊnlɪ /

adjective

1. unhappy as a result of being without the companionship of others

   a lonely man

2. causing or resulting from the state of being alone

   a lonely existence

3. isolated, unfrequented, or desolate

4. without companions; solitary

Other Word Forms

• lonelily adverb
• loneliness noun
• lonelihood noun
• unlonely adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lonely¹

First recorded in 1600–10; lone + -ly

Synonym Study

See alone.

Example Sentences

But here’s the thing that keeps me up at night: We needed a generation to tell us they’re lonely.

Read more on MarketWatch

About a third of Americans report that they are lonely at least some of the time, though women tend to reach out more often to friends or loved ones when they feel that way.

Read more on Salon

"Even if you're around one person and you really like that person, you can still feel lonely without having friends," Dr Franco says.

Read more on BBC

The library is a place not to be lonely.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She plays a lonely schoolteacher named Theresa Dunn who engages in increasingly risky behavior with strangers in pursuit of love.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deserted 
• desolate 
• destitute 
• empty 
• homeless 
• isolated 
• lonesome 
• reclusive www.thesaurus.com
• solitary