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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
  • This year's report finds that levels of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness among high schoolers have fallen in recent years – from 42% in 2021, to 40% in 2023 and 33% in 2025.
    — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Scott is tremendous and tragic in the film, maybe more so in its moments of dark humor than in its final beats of near operatic sadness.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • What new extremes of desperation will working artists sink to in this economy?
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • As with all of our best and worst inventions, its motive has always been desperation.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of desperation
Noun
  • 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
  • On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • If there’s plenty to despair about in Krux, Vahl also shows how all is not totally lost.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • His life moved from pain to promise, despair to hope, and perhaps as humanly possible, from sinner to saint.
    — Steven D. Reske, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of despair
Noun
  • Proponents say that in its pure form, kratom is a safe, natural herbal supplement that can help manage pain, anxiety and depression and ease the effects of opioid withdrawal.
    — Sudhin Thanawala, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, odds are high for an area of low pressure off the western coast of Africa to become tropical depression.
    — Robin Webb, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • This year's report finds that levels of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness among high schoolers have fallen in recent years – from 42% in 2021, to 40% in 2023 and 33% in 2025.
    — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Understanding the scope of human suffering and hopelessness in our world stirs a strong internal conflict between empathy and pragmatism.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 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
  • President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in separate statements and expressed sorrow over the deaths.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • In direct contradiction to Herzog, Zamir’s office stated that Azaria had never expressed sorrow or remorse about the killing.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 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 28 Sep. 2026.

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