forlornness

noun

Definition of forlornnessnext
1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits seemingly nothing could relieve the losing team's forlornness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desperation
utter loss of hope with the forlornness of someone who had been disappointed many times before, he abandoned his quest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for forlornness
  1. sadness
  2. desperation
  3. melancholy
  4. despair
  5. depression
  6. hopelessness
  7. mournfulness
  8. sorrow
Noun
  • There was a moment this week when tears of sadness gave way to elation for one California couple.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The local journalists who cover the Bend community every day were not immune from the grief and sadness after today’s deadly shooting of children at an elementary school.
    — Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • Both teams now limp into Saturday's game in Austin with bruised bodies and egos, and carrying a whiff of desperation for a win to keep the season from unraveling.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Brown and her relatives say the fallen officer tragedy has reignited their trauma and desperation for justice.
    — Liz Crawford, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of desperation
Noun
  • The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • Plath is shown not as a passive victim of despair, but as a brilliant intellectual and visionary poet.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Teacher of 19 years used to be able to help traumatized students without falling into despair.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of despair
Noun
  • The depression that plagues him in winters is nowhere to be found.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But their emergence also underscores how much psychiatry still needs to learn about the biological underpinnings of depression and why patients respond differently to treatment.
    — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • In that sense, the dead-end setting of their journey across a volatile landscape in which humans might be an afterthought seems to reflect their hopelessness.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • What could that dirt road and the horizon beyond it mean—hope or hopelessness?
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of hopelessness
Noun
  • Power Ballad should be breezy and fun, with that twist of mournfulness that Carney is always so adept at pulling off.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 May 2026
Definition of mournfulness
Noun
  • Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said on her personal Facebook page that the incident left her filled with sorrow.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Like many songwriters who’ve ever poured their romantic sorrows out in their music, the challenge in this new era was getting acquainted with writing from a place of happiness instead, which can be a source of anxiety itself.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of sorrow
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

forlornly
forlornness
form
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Cite this Entry

“Forlornness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forlornness. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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