LONELINESS Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

loneliness

noun

Definition of loneliness

as in isolation

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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 This trend exacerbates existing loneliness and isolation, transforming work from a community hub into a less fulfilling, individualistic experience. — Tracy Brower, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Freelance writer and editor Lucy Schiller bumped up against the issues of aging, eldercare and loneliness through her grandmothers. — Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026 But the smoke of loneliness drifts through the song’s 16 minutes, too; this is the sound of being left to sort through your tangle of feelings, of maybe not quite knowing how to do it. — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026 The global trend of loneliness is becoming more and more disturbing. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 19 July 2026 The play uses food as a medium to reveal the loneliness, sacrifice and memories that sustained the lives behind stories of immigrant success. — Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 19 July 2026 The actress had also publicly spoken about loneliness in her older years, saying in a 2020 appearance on The Ray D’Arcy Show that the holiday season was a challenge. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026 Estimates for people globally who report loneliness range from 1 in 6 to 1 in 2. — Juliet Linderman, Fortune, 16 July 2026 The onset of more organ soloing by Emmett over twin guitars is just the barrage needed to slam home the paranoia and loneliness in a song that alternates self-effacement with self-defensive allegations of gaslighting and abandonment. — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for loneliness

Noun

Across society, loneliness and social isolation continue to rise.

— Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Irritability and low energy and a knife-sharp craving for isolation.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Definition of isolation

Noun

But after a morning of pastoral Tyrolean views, followed by a convivial lunch at a lakefront restaurant, my commitment to solitude wavered.

— Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026
Raven ended a years-long reprieve from public life by using metaphorical interpretations of water and emergence to lay out the importance of intentional solitude.

— Lawrence Burney, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026

Definition of solitude

Noun

When Johnson launched Johnson Products in 1954, Black businesses faced segregation and exclusion.

— Deloris Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
DeVriese-Sebilla said those attitudes had lasting consequences for Argentine, describing housing segregation as one of the community’s greatest historical challenges.

— Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 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

Plus, its elevated location lends an air of seclusion and delivers panoramic views of Pollonia.

— Helen Iatrou, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026
Harbour Island is known for its pink-sand beaches, luxury estates and relative seclusion compared with many other Caribbean destinations.

— Bryan West, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of seclusion

Noun

Apple and Google, however, say opening up their platforms could raise serious privacy concerns.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
The privacy question is about sharing a little bit of information once, at account creation, in order to grant a social media company the right to take, use, and sell gigabytes of your personal information for many years to come.

— Ravi Iyer, Time, 18 July 2026

Definition of privacy

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“Loneliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loneliness. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of loneliness

noun

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