lone ‧ ly S3 /ˈləʊnli $ ˈloʊn-/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative lonelier , superlative loneliest )
1 . unhappy because you are alone or do not have anyone to talk to SYN lonesome American English :
a lonely old man
Don’t you get lonely being on your own all day?
► Do not use lonely to mean ‘without anyone else’. Use alone : She is afraid to travel alone (NOT travel lonely).
2 . a lonely experience or situation makes you unhappy because you are alone or do not have anyone to talk to:
a lonely journey
lonely life/existence
He led a lonely life with few friends.
3 . the lonely [plural] people who are lonely
4 . a lonely place is a long way from where people live and very few people go there SYN lonesome American English , remote , desolate
lonely place/road/spot etc
—loneliness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ lonely ( also lonesome American English ) unhappy because you are alone or do not have any friends:
Tammy felt very lonely when she first arrived in New York.
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Our neighbor George is a very lonely man.
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I get so lonesome here with no one to talk to.
▪ isolated lonely because your situation makes it difficult for you to meet people:
People caring for sick relatives often feel very isolated.
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Children of very rich parents can grow up isolated from the rest of society.
▪ alienated feeling that you do not belong in a particular place or group:
She felt very alienated as the only woman in the company.
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In high school she felt somehow different and alienated from other students.
▪ homesick unhappy because you are a long way from your home and the people who live there:
When I first went to Germany, I was very homesick.
▪ miss somebody used when saying that you feel unhappy because someone is not there with you:
I miss you.
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She misses her friends.