1
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
she was forlorn when she found out the trip had been cancelled
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2
as in lonely
sad from lack of companionship or separation from others
a forlorn wanderer far from home
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3
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
a forlorn little town whose brief economic boom ended decades ago
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4
as in desperate
feeling or showing no hope
the forlorn expression of a candidate who knows that he hasn't a prayer of winning the election
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1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
seemingly nothing could relieve the losing team's forlornness
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2
as in desperation
utter loss of hope
with the forlornness of someone who had been disappointed many times before, he abandoned his quest
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forlorn
Armond White, National Review, 2 May 2025
The Mad Men echoes are tough to shake, too: There are shots in here, like Coop looking forlorn in an elevator, that might as well be episodic photos from Mad Men.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 11 Apr. 2025
This funny, strange and fundamentally forlorn film about the city’s gentrification provided a breakout role for Jonathan Majors as a lost artistic soul.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
While the Mumbai players were jubilant, Australian cricket great Meg Lanning cut a forlorn figure after Delhi’s heart-breaking eight-run defeat.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forlorn
Adjective
The only hope comes from gloomy Americans and forlorn Eastern Europeans in service to a weary national idea.
—Armond White, National Review, 2 May 2025
The Mad Men echoes are tough to shake, too: There are shots in here, like Coop looking forlorn in an elevator, that might as well be episodic photos from Mad Men.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 11 Apr. 2025
This funny, strange and fundamentally forlorn film about the city’s gentrification provided a breakout role for Jonathan Majors as a lost artistic soul.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
While the Mumbai players were jubilant, Australian cricket great Meg Lanning cut a forlorn figure after Delhi’s heart-breaking eight-run defeat.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forlorn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forlorn
Adjective
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To some, this may sound bizarre, laughable, or even just plain sad.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
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Banks: There’s a reason why the theater [symbol] is a happy face/sad face.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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As found in the survey, adults who experience daily loneliness are nearly five times more likely to rate their current life poorly compared to those who aren’t lonely.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Skeletal branches created a cathedral over the lonely vehicle where the 64-year-old man had breathed his last, the winter-gray river placid in the background behind a ramble of fences.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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At the same time, others who attended this year’s California Democratic Party Convention dismissed any notion that the future of the Democratic Party is bleak.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
31 May 2025
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The early options on the GOP side are bleak: Neither Donalds nor Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife who’s said to be interested in succeeding him, is the moderate Florida so desperately needs now.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Racing is in desperate need of stars and the chase for the Triple Crown is one way of getting them.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
6 June 2025
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In this story, the baby was in desperate need of nourishment, so the mother ran between two hills seven times to try to procure water for the baby.—
Monica Haider,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Years of economic dysfunction have left the country’s once-thriving middle class in a state of desperation.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
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Based on Spoelstra’s success in driving the Heat to and through the playoffs, nothing dramatic needed here, certainly nothing like the Knicks’ act of desperation with Thibodeau.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, the more fiscally conservative Senate is increasingly unhappy with the cost of the bill, which is estimated to add $3.1 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Four of its main characters are in unhappy marriages and cheating on their spouses, which is sometimes awkwardly played for laughs.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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When The Last of Us premiered back in 2023, there was massive chatter surrounding Pascal and his penchant for rescuing desolate children in TV shows.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 May 2025
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See a camera operator following Snook to a desolate corner?—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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The longtime psych-rock staple co-wrote the album with filmmaker Matt Yoka to be a collection of American stories about hopeless kleptomaniacs, urban explorers, and other people who slip through the cracks.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
30 May 2025
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All seemed hopeless for Moore and Mansell, until, out of the blue, a lawyer with the Office of the White House Counsel contacted Moore’s defense lawyers, Seitles and Litwin-Diego, in April to inquire about the case.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forlorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forlorn. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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