lonely

lone·ly

adjective \ˈlōn-lē\

lone·li·erlone·li·est

Definition of LONELY

1

a : being without company : lone

b : cut off from others : solitary

2

: not frequented by human beings : desolate

3

: sad from being alone : lonesome

4

: producing a feeling of bleakness or desolation

— lone·li·ness \ˈlōn-lē-nəs\ noun

Examples of LONELY

1. He was lonely without his wife and children.
2. She was a lonely child with few friends.
3. It was lonely living out in the country.
4. She spent too many lonely nights at home.
5. She had a lonely childhood.
6. a lonely spot in the woods
7. a lonely stretch of road

First Known Use of LONELY

circa 1598

Related to LONELY

Synonyms

lone, alone, lonesome, single, solitary, solo, unaccompanied

Antonyms

accompanied

Related Words

unattended, unchaperoned; forlorn, friendless; cloistered, disassociated, hermetic (also hermetical), insulated, isolate, isolated, remote, retired, secluded, withdrawn; quarantined, segregated, separated, sequestered; separate, unattached, unconnected, unlinked; detached, disconnected, disjointed, dissociated, disunited, divided, fractionated; abandoned, adrift, deserted, desolate, forgotten, forsaken, lorn, neglected

Near Antonyms

attended, chaperoned, escorted; adjacent, adjoining, communicating, contiguous, neighboring, next-door; attached, connected, coupled, linked

See Synonym Discussion at alone

Rhymes with LONELY

only, pronely