lonely

[lohn-lee]

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 for lonely

4. uninhabited, unpopulated. 5. secluded.

Synonym study

1. See alone.

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

British Dictionary definitions for unlonely

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 unlonely

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.