lonely
Americanadjective
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- unpopulated, uninhabited
-
standing apart; isolated.
a lonely tower.
- Synonyms:
- secluded
adjective
-
unhappy as a result of being without the companionship of others
a lonely man
-
causing or resulting from the state of being alone
a lonely existence
-
isolated, unfrequented, or desolate
-
without companions; solitary
Related Words
See alone.
Other Word Forms
- lonelihood noun
- lonelily adverb
- loneliness noun
- unlonely adjective
Etymology
Origin of lonely
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.
Alas, Clare was forced to face the harrowing reality: Just as in his short, lonely life, he was unworthy of affection.
From Literature
“There was a privet hedge, a lonely juniper, a hibiscus, a large bird of paradise and a camellia bush,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times
"Younger generations especially but people as a whole are feeling more lonely," he says.
From BBC
Jenny Norton, head of BBC News Russian, says with cuts to US foreign broadcast networks and independent Russian outlets struggling for funding, the BBC's service is becoming an increasingly lonely but vital voice.
From BBC
On a deeper level, Slayyyter’s “Worst Girl in America” is the lonely girl from a small Midwestern town, one who she says craved a healthy relationship with her father— and a way out.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
