LONELINESS Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

loneliness

noun

Definition of loneliness

as in isolation

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of loneliness Yet Seghers deftly exposes the insecurity, loneliness, and longing that hide behind masculinist poses. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 His loneliness is somewhat mitigated by the other sentient AIs he’s uploaded to his mindspace, envisioned by creator Terry Matalas (Syfy’s 12 Monkeys) as a big white house on a purposefully digital green lawn. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026 As the wife’s memory fades, the film watches love, loneliness and strain settle into the family’s daily routines. — Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 Watching Tony find companionship forced me to confront my own loneliness. — Nita Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 In addition to overseeing flagship projects like the California Climate Action Corps and College Corps, California Volunteers oversees some of Newsom’s more ambitious ventures, like his mandate to combat male loneliness. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026 The loneliness is accentuated by the jittery, dreaminess of his club beats for the headphones that make even the goofiest songs seem personal. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026 But somehow, in the midst of all this frat-boy revelry, Ilya is able to outline his vision for the future, one in which AI will have solved numerous human problems, including eradicating not only cancer but also loneliness and unhappiness. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026 Gallup pointed to rising clinical depression and loneliness, difficulty affording housing, fears of losing jobs to artificial intelligence and growing pessimism about the job market as possible contributors to the decline. — Alex Deluca, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for loneliness

Noun

Additional safety features include gas detection, electrical isolation monitoring, as well as technology designed to prevent battery failures from spreading between cells.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
Likewise, Antarctic workers have been studied to learn about the psychological aspects of long-term isolation and small-group dynamics in stressful situations, another key aspect of space exploration.

— Daniella McCahey, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of isolation

Noun

If the first season is about solitude, the second is about the end of love — what happens when two people sleep separately, still care for one another, but are no longer in love.

— Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Written in the solitude of endless tour nights following the release of Something, his fourth album exists in the liminal space between pop stardom and the quiet solitude of a hotel room on tour.

— Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of solitude

Noun

Growing up under the harsh system of segregation influenced Pillay's interest in human rights and the law.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Growing up under the harsh system of segregation influenced Pillay’s interest in human rights and the law.

— Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of segregation

Noun

These immigrants, who first settled the backcountry of Pennsylvania before pushing farther to the western and southern frontier, brought with them a cultural and linguistic separateness that had an immense impact on the speech of the American heartland.

— Valerie Fridland, Big Think, 21 Apr. 2026
Byrne is generous with his time and attention, but there’s also a Warholian air of mystery about him—a gentle impenetrability, a feeling of separateness.

— Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

Definition of separateness

Noun

Go for a swim in the rooftop pool up on the 16th floor (the other pool is reserved for hotel residents), and reserve a private cabana for extra seclusion.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
The seller described the property as a compromise-free version of city living and rural seclusion.

— David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of seclusion

Browse Nearby Words

lone

loneliness

lonely

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Loneliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loneliness. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of loneliness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes