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lonely

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of lonely

1 not being in the company of others

  • a single lonely cactus in the desert
Synonyms of lonely

alone, lone, lonesome, single, solitary, solo, unaccompanied
Words Related to lonely

unattended, unchaperoned

forlorn, friendless

cloistered, disassociated, hermetic (also hermetical), insulated, isolate, isolated, remote, retired, secluded, withdrawn

quarantined, segregated, separated, sequestered

separate, unattached, unconnected, unlinked

detached, disconnected, disjointed, dissociated, disunited, divided, fractionated

abandoned, adrift, deserted, desolate, forgotten, forsaken, lorn, neglected
Phrases Synonymous with lonely

on one's own
Near Antonyms of lonely

attended, chaperoned, escorted

adjacent, adjoining, communicating, contiguous, neighboring, next-door

attached, connected, coupled, linked
Antonyms of lonely

accompanied

2 sad from lack of companionship or separation from others

  • I was lonely when I first got to Los Angeles, but I soon made friends
Synonyms of lonely

desolate, forlorn, lonesome, lorn
Words Related to lonely

friendless

abandoned, deserted, forgotten, forsaken, neglected, rejected

alone, lone, solitary, solo, unaccompanied

only, sole
Near Antonyms of lonely

accompanied, attended, escorted

3 causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer

  • the lonely streets of a honky-tonk beach town in the off-season
Synonyms of lonely

black, bleak, cheerless, chill, Cimmerian, cloudy, cold, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, depressive, desolate, dire, disconsolate, dismal, drear, dreary, dreich [chiefly Scottish], elegiac (also elegiacal), forlorn, funereal, gloomy, glum, godforsaken, gray (also grey), lonesome, lugubrious, miserable, morbid, morose, murky, plutonian, saturnine, sepulchral, solemn, somber (or sombre), sullen, sunless, tenebrific, tenebrous, wretched
Words Related to lonely

blue, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, down, droopy, hangdog, inconsolable, low, melancholic, melancholy, mirthless, sad, unhappy, woebegone, woeful

dim, discomfiting, discouraging, disheartening, dismaying, dispiriting, distressful, distressing, upsetting

desperate, hopeless, pessimistic

lamentable, mournful, plaintive, sorrowful

colorless, drab, dull

dour, grim, lowering (also louring), lowery (also loury), menacing, negative, oppressive, threatening
Near Antonyms of lonely

blithe, blithesome, buoyant, gay, jocund, jolly, joyful, joyous, merry, mirthful

encouraging, hopeful, optimistic

lighthearted, lightsome
Antonyms of lonely

bright, cheerful, cheering, cheery, comforting, cordial, festive, friendly, gay, heartwarming, sunshiny

Synonym Discussion of lonely

alone, solitary, lonely, lonesome, lone, forlorn, desolate mean isolated from others. alone stresses the objective fact of being by oneself with slighter notion of emotional involvement than most of the remaining terms.
    • everyone needs to be alone sometimes
solitary may indicate isolation as a chosen course
    • glorying in the calm of her solitary life
but more often it suggests sadness and a sense of loss.
    • left solitary by the death of his wife
lonely adds to solitary a suggestion of longing for companionship.
    • felt lonely and forsaken
lonesome heightens the suggestion of sadness and poignancy.
    • an only child often leads a lonesome life
lone may replace lonely or lonesome but typically is as objective as alone.
    • a lone robin pecking at the lawn
forlorn stresses dejection, woe, and listlessness at separation from one held dear.
    • a forlorn lost child
desolate implies inconsolable grief at loss or bereavement.
    • desolate after her brother's death

Learn More about lonely

  1. See words that rhyme with lonely Dictionary: Definition of lonely Spanish Central: Translation of lonely Nglish: Translation of lonely for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lonely for Arabic speakers

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