Lonely

Definition: Lonely

Lonely

Adjective

1. Lacking companions or companionship; "he was alone when we met him"; "she is alone much of the time"; "the lone skier on the mountain"; "a lonely fisherman stood on a tuft of gravel"; "a lonely soul"; "a solitary traveler".

2. Marked by dejection from being alone; "felt sad and lonely"; "the loneliest night of the week"; "lonesome when her husband is away"; "spent a lonesome hour in the bar".

3. Separated from or unfrequented by others; remote or secluded; "a lonely crossroads"; "a solitary retreat"; "a trail leading to an unfrequented lake".

4. Enjoyed or performed alone; "a lonely existence"; "his lonely room"; "took a solitary walk"; "enjoyed her solitary dinner"; "solitary pursuits such as reading".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "lonely" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references)

Note: Lonely \Lone"ly\, adjective. [Comparative Lonelier; superlative Loneliest.]. (references)

Synonyms: Lonely

Seclusion Exclusion

Solitary; lonely, lonesome; isolated, single.

Unity

Lone, lonely, lonesome; desolate, dreary. insecable,

Crosswords: Lonely

Never get hurt, you can always have fun. And if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit all your friends (Almost Famous; writing credit: Cameron Crowe)

I've been very lonely in my isolated tower of indecipherable speech (Being John Malkovich; writing credit: Charlie Kaufman)

But I am in a pretty lonely place (Fight Club; writing credit: Jim Uhls)

Liverpool can be a lonely place on a Saturday night, and this is only Thursday morning (Yellow Submarine; writing credit: Al Brodax; Jack Mendelsohn)

You're just a lonely old man from Liverpool (A Hard Day's Night; writing credit: Alun Owen)

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ("Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"; performing artist: The Beatles)

Too many lonely souls have drifted out to sea, (Things We Do For Love; performing artist: 10 CC)

In deep despair on lonely nights (When Smokey Sings; performing artist: ABC)

She leads a lonely life (All That She Wants; performing artist: Ace Of Base)

I, I was the lonely one (Even The Nights Are Better; performing artist: Air Supply)

Be good and you will be lonely. (references; author: Mark Twain)

It's lonely at the top, but you eat better. (references; author: unknown)

You can't be lonely if you like the person you're alone with. (references; author: unknown)

Lonely lowland llamas are ladylike. (references; author: unknown)

Lonely Place (2003)

Sex and the Lonely Woman (1972)

One Is a Lonely Number (1972)

Lonely Housewife (1970)

The Last Lonely Man (1969)

THE LONELY BULL  (performing artist: Herb Alpert )

LONELY TEARDROPS  (performing artist: Jackie Wilson )

I Get Lonely (performing artist: Janet Jackson)

Lonely Ol' Night (performing artist: John Cougar Mellencamp)

LONG LONELY NIGHTS  (performing artist: Lee Andrews & The Hearts )

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• The Lonely Ameba (reference)

• Lonely Planet Amsterdam: City Map (City Maps Series) (reference)

• Lonely Planet Aboriginal Australia & the Torres Strait Islands (Aboriginal Austrailia and the Torres Straight Island, 1st Ed) (reference)

• Lonely Planet Brussels, Bruges & Antwerp (Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp, 2nd Ed) (reference)

• Lonely Planet British Phrasebook (reference)

  (more book examples)

Theater & Movies

• Lonely Hearts (reference)

• The Lonely Guy (reference)

• Lonely Are the Brave (reference)

• None But the Lonely Heart (reference)

• Only the Lonely (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• I'm a Lonely Wanderer [BOX SET] (reference)

• It's a Lonely Planet (reference)

• Lonely Robot (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• Lonely Planet CitySync USA Springboard Module (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

A lonely Antarctic outpost. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.

Landing of a flying ambulance near a lonely dwelling in Canada's north. / WHO p. Credit: National Library of Medicine; photo by Paul Almasy..

Line engravings published in "Harper's Weekly", January-June 1863, page 300, depicting scene on board the U.S. Navy's Western Rivers hospital ship during the Civil War. The scene at left, entitled "The Sister", shows a nurse attending to a patient. That at right shows a convalescent ward. The middle view is of a lonely grave on the river bank. Credit: NAVY.

Motorist (frantically flagged on lonely road): What's the matter? is the bridge out? ... Credit: Library of Congress.

It gets pretty lonely at the lighthouse. Credit: Library of Congress.

Lonely cross and old rollway now abandoned, Au Sable River, Michigan. Credit: Library of Congress.

New sign along highway advertises a new enterprise in the lonely town of Maupin, Oregon. Population 245. Credit: Library of Congress.

Enoch Arden - the lonely isle. Credit: Library of Congress.

Banish lonely hours in camp! Help provide libraries filled with books for soldiers A million dollars for a million books for a million men--Leave your money at the public library or at any bank. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. (Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1932)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

It was a very useful note, for it supplied them with fresh matter for thought and conversation during the rest of their lonely evening

He had just had a wonderful idea about how to cope with the terrible lonely isolation, the nightmares, the failure of all his attempts at horticulture, and the sheer futurelessness and futility of his life here on prehistoric Earth, which was that he would go mad.

My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire

Like the birds of prey, he had chosen this lonely place to make his nest

I was lonely. And I hated my mother and father for making him so unhappy

He stopped, feeling lonely in the long speech

We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "lonely": be lonely ♦ be lonely for ♦ become lonely. Additional references.

Beginning with "lonely": lonely-heart, lonely-hearts, lonely-nights.

Ending with "lonely": snow-lonely, so-lonely, un-lonely.

Afrikaans

eensaam (solitary). (various references)

Albanian

vetëm (alone, but, exclusively, just, merely, nothing but, only, simply, singly, so that, sole, solely, solitary, solus), i vetmuar (bleak, cloistered, desolate, eremitic, lone, lonesome, out of the way, private, privy, recluse, remote, retired, secluded, solitary), i veçuar (dangling, detached, individual, isolated, out of the way, retired, secluded, segregate, separate, several, single), i shkretë (blessed, desert, deserted, desolate, devoid of inhabitants, inhospitable, lifeless, lonesome, poor, waste, wild). (various references)

Arabic 

‏مهجور (abandoned, antiquated, archaic, archaism, bygone, derelict, deserted, desolate, disused, forlorn, forsaken, in disuse, lonesome, obsolete, outdated, outmoded, solitary, unfrequented), ‏منعزل (bleak, downcast, hideaway, insulate, isolated, lone, lonesome, private, quiet, recluse, retired, secluded, separate, separated, shy, solitary, withdrawn), ‏من غير رفيق, ‏متيتم (orphaned), ‏متوحد (alone, isolated, lone, recluse, reclusive, secluded, solitary). (various references)

Bulgarian 

усамотен (isolated, private, remote, retired, secluded, solitary, unfrequented), уединен (lone, obscure, private, recluse, retired, secluded, secret, solitary, withdrawn), самотен (desolate, friendless, lone, lonesome, lorn, secluded, single, solitary, unfriended), сам (alone, lone, odd, oneself, single, single handed, singly, solitary, solo, solus, unaccompanied, yourself), отстранен (detached). (various references)

Chinese 

瞏 (gaze in terror), 孤独 (forlorn), 孤獨 (solitary), 孤 (lone), 寂寞 (lonesome). (various references)

Czech

osamìlý (lone, lonesome, quiet, solitary). (various references)

Dutch

eenzaam (dreary, gaunt, single, solitary). (various references)

Esperanto

soleca (solitary). (various references)

Farsi 

متروک (Bleak, Derelict, Desolate), غریب (Curious, Eccentric, Extravagant, Immigrant, Nostalgic, Romantic, Singular, Stranger, Uncanny, Unco, Unheard, Unmoral, Unusual, Weird, Whimsical, Wonder), تنها (Alone, Exclusive, Just, Lone, Mere, Only, Recluse, Single, Sole, Solitary, Unaccompanied), بیکس , بیغوله , بی یار (Unfriended). (various references)

Finnish

yksinäinen (secluded, single, solitary). (various references)

French

solitaire (lone, lonesome). (various references)

German

einsam (alone, desert, empty, fantastic, forlorn, isolated, lone, lonesom, lonesome, lonesomely, private, secluded, single handed, solitarily, solitary, unfrequented). (various references)

Greek 

μόνος (alone, lone, on one's own, single), μονήρησ (lonesome, retort, solitary), μοναχικόσ (lone, monastic). (various references)

Hebrew 

בודד (lone, secluded, single, solitary). (various references)

Hungarian

magányos (be lonely, cloistered, desolate, friendless, lone, lonesome, recluse, remote, secluded, segregate, sequestered, solitary), elhagyott (derelict, deserted, desolate, forsaken, lone, lonesome, lorn, recluse, sequestered). (various references)

Indonesian

lengang (deserted, slack), sepi (quiet), sendirian (alone, lone, singly), esa-esaan (alone). (various references)

Italian

unico (alone, isolated, nonpareil, one, one only, only, reclusive, single, sole, unescorted, unique), sperduto (dispersed, lost), solo (alone, just, lone, lonesome, mere, only, single, sole, solidly, solitary, unaccompanied, unique, very), solitario (alone, lone, lone wolf, loner, patience, private, sequestered, single handed, solitaire, solitary, solo), poco frequentato (unfrequented), isolato (block, detached, insulated, isolated, lone, private, remote, secluded, solitary), abbandonato (abandoned, derelict, deserted, forlorn, forsaken, lovelorn, neglected, outcast). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

寂然 (desolate), 寂しい (desolate, lonesome, solitary). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

しょうじょうたる (bleak, dreary), ひとざとはなれた, ひとりぼっち (alone, solitude), さびしい (desolate, lonesome, solitary), さみしい (desolate, lonesome, solitary), せきぜんたる (desolate), せきぜん (accumulation of good deeds, desolate, eye, one eye), せきりょうたる (desolate), こころぼそい (discouraging, disheartening, forlorn, helpless, hopeless, unpromising), こころさびしい (lonesome), りょうりょう (both, rare, two each), わびしい (comfortless, dreary, miserable, shabby, wretched), ものさびしい, じゃくねん (desolate, youth). (various references)

Korean 

고독한 (forlorn, solitary). (various references)

Manx

lomarcan (a solitary person, alone, singleton, singly, solitary, unaccompanied), fadanagh (desolate). (various references)

Norwegian

ensom (dreary, gaunt, immense, lonesome, remote). (various references)

Pig Latin

onelylay.(various references)

Portuguese

solitário (alone, cloistered, desolate, lone, lonesome, lorn, recluse, secluded, sole, solitaire, solitary, unfrequented, wild). (various references)

Romanian

stingher (lone, single), solitar (hermit, lone, lone wolf, loner, recluse, remote, single, solitarily, solitary), singuratic (desolate, forlorn, isolated, lone, lone wolf, loner, one-aloner, recluse, remote, seclusive, secret, single, solitary), singur (a, alone, by, by oneself, herself, himself, isolated, itself, lone, lonesome, mateless, naked, only, single, sole, solely, solitary, solo, yourself, yourselves), sãcret (deserted, wild), retras (covert, drawn, lone, private, quiet, recluse, remote, reserved, retired, retiring, secluded, seclusive, secret, separate, sequestered, solitary, unfrequented), nefrecventat, izolat (apart, detached, isolated, lonesome, out of the way, private, remote, removed, retired, scattered, secluded, seclusive, segregate, separate, sequestered, solitary, unfrequented). (various references)

Russian 

уединенный (cloistral, coy, lone, private, privy, recluse, retired, secluded, seclusive, solitary), одиноко одинокий (lonesome), одиноко, одинокий (alone, desolate, friendless, lone, single, solitary). (various references)

Scottish

fàsail (desert), aonaranach (solitary). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

usamljeno, usamljen (forlorn, friendless, lone, lonesome, lorn, solitary, unfrequented), pust (bleak, desert, empty, indocile, waste), napušten (abandoned, bereaved, derelict, deserted, desolate, forsaken), izolovan (discrete, incommunicado, isolated). (various references)

Spanish

solitario (alone, desolate, isolated, lone, lonesome, obscure, patience, recluse, seclusive, solitaire, solitary), solo (a, all alone, alone, lone, lonesome, mere, neat, one, only, single, singular, sole, solitary, solo). (various references)

Swedish

enslig (lone, lonesome, secluded, solitary), ensam (alone, desolate, lone, lonesome, lorn, on one's own, only, private, single handed, singly, sole, solely, solitary, unaided, unattended), ödslig (desert, desolate, dreary, lonesome). (various references)

Thai

เปล่าเปลี่ยว, ห่างไกลผู้คน, ขาดความเห็นใจ. (various references)

Turkish

yapayalnız (all alone, lonesome, solitarily), yalnız (alone, by yourself, exclusively, isolated, just, lone, lonesome, merely, on one's tod, only, private, single handed, singly, sole, solitarily, solitary, unaccompanied, unattended). (various references)

Ukrainian

самотній (alone, sole), відлюдний (ascetic, close, coy, morose, obscure, offish, recluse, remote, retired, shut in, unsociable, unsocial). (various references)

Vietnamese 

vắng vẻ (desert, deserted, lonesome, solitary), hiu quạnh cô đơn (lonesome), cô độc (lonesome, solitary), bơ vơ (desolate, helpless, lone, lonesome). (various references)

Welsh

unig (alone, only, sole). (various references)

avia, avium, deserta, desertae, desertam, desertarum, desertas, deserti, desertis, deserto, desertos, desertum, desertus, devia, sola, solae, solam, soli, solis, solitarius, solius, solo, solos, solum, solus, solusque. (various references)

Misspellings

"Lonely" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: laney, Leonello, Llandeloy, loely, lomely, Lomnicy, Loncle, lonel, longel, lonily, lonley, lonly, looney, Lounel, lunala, lunula, Lunule, Lupeli, Lynley, Monelli, nonely, oleyl, onelie. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: nelly.

-2 letters: enol, leno, lone, noel, only, yell.

-3 letters: ell, eon, ley, lye, ole, one, yen, yon.

-4 letters: el, en, lo, ne, no, oe, on, oy, ye, yo.

+1 letter: novelly.

+2 letters: goldenly, lonelily, moltenly, slovenly, solemnly, unlovely.

+3 letters: colonelcy, opulently, solvently, unalloyed, violently, volleying, yellowfin, yellowing, yodelling.

+4 letters: angelology, balneology, covalently, eloquently, indolently, insolently, involvedly, lonesomely, longsomely, melancholy, nebulously, neonatally, orientally, outyelling, personally, polylysine, polyolefin, polyphenol, polyvalent, redolently, regionally, seasonally, selenology, songlessly, tolerantly, tonelessly, trolleying, yellowfins.

+5 letters: anecdotally, bellybutton, boundlessly, chancellory, collenchyma, commensally, congenially, corpulently, countlessly, cycloolefin, demonically, deploringly, emotionally, endosteally, erosionally, fellmongery, feloniously, grovelingly, hedonically, hexagonally, intolerably, inviolately, larcenously, lichenology, noiselessly, nonverbally, oneirically, planetology, plenteously, pointlessly, polylysines, polynuclear, polyolefins, polyphenols, polyvalence, potentially, revoltingly, scoundrelly, sectionally, semitonally, sensorially, somnolently, soundlessly, tonetically, uncloudedly, unsoldierly, wonderfully.