lonesome

1 of 2

adjective

lone·​some ˈlōn(t)-səm 

1

a

: sad or dejected as a result of lack of companionship or separation from others

don't be lonesome while we are gone

b

: causing a feeling of loneliness

the empty house seemed so lonesome

2

a

: remote, unfrequented

look down, look down that lonesome road

—Gene Austin

b

: lone

lonesomely adverb

lonesomeness noun

lonesome

2 of 2

noun

: self

sat all by his lonesome

Synonyms

Adjective

• desolate
• forlorn
• lonely
• lorn

Choose the Right Synonym for lonesome

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

Examples of lonesome in a Sentence

Adjective

He was lonesome for his family.

The empty house seemed so lonesome.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Emo act Barely Civil has the perfect album for you, and for these times, throwing bitter screams against lonesome whispers, tender guitar melodies against heart-bursting rock onslaughts, grand statements against intimate emotional excavations. —Piet Levy, Journal Sentinel, 16 Dec. 2024

Scott’s Tom Ripley was a clean break from that of Matt Damon; instead of a petulant pretty boy seized by envy and lust, this Ripley was older (Scott is in his late forties) and scarier, a lonesome manipulator with a murderous gleam in his eye. —Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

Noun

Antarctica, though, would stay by its lonesome in the south. —Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2012

At 11 seconds, the defense left Rudy Gobert all by his lonesome for an easy alley-oop from Mitchell to give the Jazz the lead. —Dallas News, 23 Apr. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lonesome

• (all) by one's lonesome

Kids Definition

lonesome

adjective

lone·​some

ˈlōn(t)-səm

1

: sad from lack of companionship or separation from others

2

: not often visited or traveled over

a lonesome highway

the lonesome frontier

lonesomeness noun