Definition of 'lonely'
Word forms: lonelier, loneliest
1. adjective
Someone who is lonely is unhappy because they are alone or do not have anyone they can talk to.
2. adjective
3. adjective
A lonely place is one where very few people come.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
lonely
lonely in American English
SIMILAR WORDS: aˈlone
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
lonelily (ˈlonelily)
adverb
loneliness (ˈloneliness)
noun
lonely in American English
(ˈlounli)
adjectiveWord forms: -lier, -liest
1.
3.
lone; solitary; without company; companionless
5.
standing apart; isolated
a lonely tower
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
lonelily adverb
loneliness or lonelihood
noun
Word origin
[1600–10; lone + -ly]lonely in British English
adjectiveWord forms: -lier or -liest
3.
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
loneliness (ˈloneliness) noun
Examples of 'lonely' in a sentence
lonely
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
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More idioms containing
lonely
In other languages
lonely
British English: lonely
/ˈləʊnlɪ/ ADJECTIVE
A lonely person is unhappy because they are alone, or because they do not have any friends.
He has been lonely since his wife died.
- American English: lonely
- Arabic: مُتَوَحِّدْ
- Brazilian Portuguese: solitário
- Chinese: 孤独的
- Croatian: usamljen
- Czech: osamělý
- Danish: ensom
- Dutch: eenzaam
- European Spanish: solo solitario
- Finnish: yksinäinen
- French: seul
- German: einsam
- Greek: μοναχικός
- Italian: solo
- Japanese: 孤独の
- Korean: 고독한
- Norwegian: ensom
- Polish: samotny
- European Portuguese: solitário
- Romanian: singuratic
- Russian: одинокий
- Spanish: solo
- Swedish: ensam
- Thai: หงอยเหงา
- Turkish: yalnız
- Ukrainian: самотній
- Vietnamese: cô đơn
Nearby words of
lonely
Related terms of
lonely
Source
Definition of lonely from the
Collins English Dictionary
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