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

"I was just in bed," Robert recalls, describing the week as the loneliest time of his life.

Read more on BBC

The 77-year-old missed a bend on his bike on his way home from the supermarket on a lonely road in the mountainous Cevennes region, careening down a rocky slope and into the ravine near Saint-Julien-des-Points.

Read more on Barron's

She has spoken in the past about her Tourette’s syndrome, her struggles with depression and self-harm, and feeling brutally lonely on the road.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

You wanted to make his final years less difficult and less lonely.

Read more on MarketWatch

Mr Morgan said farming could be a "lonely job" but doing things like tending to the horses left them with "big smiles" on their faces.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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