lonely
Aching for connection
Lonely describes the painful awareness of being alone or disconnected from others.
A lonely person lacks companionship or feels isolated even among people: She felt lonely in the crowded room.
Lonely places are remote or unfrequented: a lonely stretch of highway.
The word carries emotional weight that alone lacks—you can be alone without being lonely, or lonely without being alone.
State of being alone
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- solitaryExisting alone, apart
- isolatedSeparated from others
- withdrawnEmotionally distant, disengaged
reclusive · hermit · unaccompanied · detached · aloof · remote · sequestered · cloistered
Unable to produce
- bleakDreary and without cheer
- desertedLeft behind, uninhabited
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- abandonedLeft behind completely
empty · uninhabited · stark · grim · remote · isolated · windswept · godforsaken
Emotionally low
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- forlornSad and abandoned
- dejectedLow in spirits
- heartbrokenOverwhelmed with grief
bereft · miserable · despondent · unhappy · sorrowful · wistful · blue · downcast
Free from disturbance
- sereneUntroubled and composed
- calmFree from agitation
- quietLacking in sound
- solitaryExisting alone, apart
undisturbed · secluded · restful · still · contemplative · meditative · retreating · hermitage
Inclined to deep thought
- reflectiveCasting back light
- meditativeInclined toward deep reflection
- thoughtfulShowing careful consideration
- pensiveQuietly, sadly thoughtful
brooding · soul-searching · ruminating · pondering · musing · philosophical · solitary · quiet
solitude
State of being alone
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- solitaryExisting alone, apart
- isolatedSeparated from others
withdrawn · reclusive · hermit · unaccompanied · detached · aloof · remote · sequestered · cloistered · apart
barren
Unable to produce
- bleakDreary and without cheer
- desertedLeft behind, uninhabited
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
abandoned · empty · uninhabited · stark · grim · remote · isolated · windswept · godforsaken · inhospitable
sad
Emotionally low
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- forlornSad and abandoned
- dejectedLow in spirits
heartbroken · bereft · miserable · despondent · unhappy · sorrowful · wistful · blue · downcast · glum
peaceful
Free from disturbance
solitary · undisturbed · secluded · restful · still · contemplative · meditative · retreating · hermitage · sanctuary
contemplative
Inclined to deep thought
- reflectiveCasting back light
- meditativeInclined toward deep reflection
- thoughtfulShowing careful consideration
pensive · brooding · soul-searching · ruminating · pondering · musing · philosophical · solitary · quiet · inner
longing
Intense, persistent desire
wistful · nostalgic · homesick · missing · wanting · hankering · wishful · dreaming · hoping · desiring
lonelyaccompanied
Went along with someone
befriended · connected · loved · popular · surrounded
- lone wolfSelf-reliant individualist
- lone wolvesSolitary, self-reliant individuals
- lonely heartsSingles seeking partners
- lonely nights
- lone survivorOnly one who lived
- Lone RangerMasked Texas lawman hero
alone, lone, lonesome, loneliness, aloneness, loneliest, lonelier, lonesomely