lonely

[ lohn-lee ]

/ ˈloʊn li /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of lonely

First recorded in 1600–10; lone + -ly

SYNONYMS FOR lonely

4. uninhabited, unpopulated. 5. secluded.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lonely ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Synonym study

1. See alone.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lonely

The 289-page satire follows Morris Feldstein, a pharmaceutical salesman who gets seduced by a lonely receptionist.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They want Marvin to be as mean and as lonely and as trashy as the characters he portrays.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That is why Malloy is campaigning on a lonely stretch of barber shops and boxing gyms in New Haven a week before the election.
Dan Malloy Is Progressives’ Dream Governor. So Why Isn’t He Winning?|David Freedlander|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I found their melancholy inviting and I appreciated their contemplative, lonely world.
The Stacks: Edward Hopper’s X-Ray Vision|Hilton Kramer|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

To be a woman suffering from a drinking problem in America is a lonely enterprise, defined by stigma and judgment.
Elizabeth Peña and the Truth About Alcoholic Women|Gabrielle Glaser|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then a strange sound was heard in their lonely little lodge—the crying of a child.
The Myths of the North American Indians|Lewis Spence
In the course of his lonely wanderings the Beaver reached this pond, and here he established himself to spend his last few weeks.
Forest Neighbors|William Davenport Hulbert
But Anne, lonely in her new quarters, had appreciated the forlornness of the old drake and had adopted him.
Mistress Anne|Temple Bailey
Yet that is how he managed to live through the lonely days he spent up there in the lookout station.
The Lookout Man|B. M. Bower
Still it seemed a long way up in the air, in that waste and lonely wilderness of rocks.
A Tramp Abroad, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for lonely

lonely

/ (ˈləʊnlɪ) /

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 lonely

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

adjective, lone·li·er, lone·li·est.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of lonely

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for lonely

lonely

adjective -lier or -liest

lonely