forlorn

adjective

for·lorn fər-ˈlȯrn

fȯr-

Synonyms of forlorn next

: bereft, forsaken

left quite forlorn of hope

: sad and lonely because of isolation or desertion : desolate

a forlorn landscape

: being in poor condition : miserable, wretched

forlorn tumbledown buildings

: nearly hopeless

a forlorn attempt

forlornly adverb

forlornness

fər-ˈlȯrn-nəs

fȯr-

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for forlorn

alone, solitary, lonely, lonesome, lone, forlorn, desolate mean isolated from others.

alone stresses the objective fact of being by oneself with slighter notion of emotional involvement than most of the remaining terms.

everyone needs to be alone sometimes

solitary may indicate isolation as a chosen course

glorying in the calm of her solitary life

but more often it suggests sadness and a sense of loss.

left solitary by the death of his wife

lonely adds to solitary a suggestion of longing for companionship.

felt lonely and forsaken

lonesome heightens the suggestion of sadness and poignancy.

an only child often leads a lonesome life

lone may replace lonely or lonesome but typically is as objective as alone.

a lone robin pecking at the lawn

forlorn stresses dejection, woe, and listlessness at separation from one held dear.

a forlorn lost child

desolate implies inconsolable grief at loss or bereavement.

desolate after her brother's death

Examples of forlorn in a Sentence

Against the forlorn backdrop of the muddy terrain the media circus has left behind, the young mother is photographed for a fashion spread wearing a … white dress. —

James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, September 1998

There is nothing quite so forlorn as a closed factory—Vic Wilcox knows, having supervised a shutdown himself in his time. —

David Lodge, Nice Work, 1990

Like Ozymandias, once king of kings but now two legs of a broken statue in Percy Shelley's desert, the great facade of Union Station in Washington, D.C., stands forlorn … —

Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, November 1986

she was forlorn when she found out the trip had been cancelled a forlorn wanderer far from home

Recent Examples on the Web Despite a powerfully forlorn aria in his casino uniform, Eric has all the depth of a deck of cards, and his chemistry with Jess is entirely entrusted to the music to convey. —

Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023 Executive produced by and starring the once-boyish, now often forlorn Ewan McGregor, the film follows David, a frumpy middle-aged family man whose mother (Ellen Burstyn) plants herself on an old couch in the storage room of a furniture outlet, flatly refusing to vacate the premises. —

J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023 The sight of father and daughter made the woman who was eager to pack for a tour somewhat forlorn. —

Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2023 Flora grows more forlorn with her husband’s every crotchety reply. —

Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2023 All the importing and exporting will happen around a pair of floating platforms that METS has set up in Bergen Basin, a forlorn tributary of Jamaica Bay. —

Patrick McGeehan, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023 In Stefan Gota’s subdued and graceful performance, the character’s forlorn ache is unspecified and fully felt. —

Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2023 Contrary to popular belief, this weekend’s tropical storm did not transform Dodger Stadium into a forlorn island surrounded by floodwaters. —

David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2023 As Justice Kavanaugh summarized his majority opinion from the Supreme Court bench on Thursday morning, Justice Gorsuch looked forlorn. —

Adam Liptak, New York Times, 22 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forlorn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.