forlorn

1 of 2

adjective

for·​lorn fər-ˈlȯrn 

fȯr-

1

a

: bereft, forsaken

left quite forlorn of hope

b

: sad and lonely because of isolation or desertion : desolate

a forlorn landscape

2

: being in poor condition : miserable, wretched

forlorn tumbledown buildings

3

: nearly hopeless

a forlorn attempt

forlornly adverb

forlornness

fər-ˈlȯrn-nəs 

fȯr-

noun

forlornness

2 of 2

noun

for·​lorn·​ness

plural -es

: forlorn quality or state

especially : desolate isolated condition or location

the complete forlornness of the scene

Synonyms of forlorn

Adjective

• sad
• unhappy
• depressed
• heartbroken
• miserable
• melancholy
• sorry
• bad

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

Adjective

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

Adjective

In a forlorn Nebraska locker room, fullback Lance Lewis assessed his team’s 9-2-1 season. — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 23 June 2026

Near a bulldozer, the forlorn husk of a car hunkered in the midst of a store’s wreckage. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2026

Paul drove into Wilkes-Barre from Princeton on Christmas Day after the chapel service and dropped his bags at a forlorn motor lodge on Public Square—Christmas carols dragging at slow speed on its sound system—and swung by my parents. — Literary Hub, 18 June 2026

Some episodes in his final week felt a bit forlorn. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English forloren, from Old English, past participle of forlēosan to lose, from for- + lēosan to lose — more at lose

Noun

Middle English forlorennesse, from forloren, forlorn + -nesse -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing forlorn

• forlorn hope

Rhymes for forlorn

• adorn
• airborne
• blackthorn
• broomcorn
• buckhorn
• buckthorn
• careworn
• firstborn
• foodborne
• forborne
• forewarn
• forsworn

Kids Definition

forlorn

adjective

for·​lorn fər-ˈlȯ(ə)rn 

fȯr-

1

: feeling sad and lonely especially because of being left alone

2

: nearly hopeless

a forlorn cause

forlornly adverb

forlornness

-ˈlȯrn-nəs 

noun