1
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
she was forlorn when she found out the trip had been cancelled
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lonely
sad from lack of companionship or separation from others
a forlorn wanderer far from home
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3
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
a forlorn little town whose brief economic boom ended decades ago
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4
as in desperate
feeling or showing no hope
the forlorn expression of a candidate who knows that he hasn't a prayer of winning the election
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forlorn
But across the street from Sherwood’s gorgeous new house — white with dark trim and cheerful flowers in the front yard — is still an empty lot, a forlorn swimming pool surrounded by chain-link fencing the only reminder of what used to be.
—
Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Instead, the forlorn centre-back was left to reflect on his mistakes.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
Note that when forlorn lover Night catfishes lonesome Apo, the film finds a scary new level of social sympathy.
—Armond White, National Review, 15 Jan. 2025
The platform in the city, empty and forlorn for years, has sprung back, crowded every morning with people waiting to take the narrow-gauge, red-and-cream-colored train, which departs twice daily.
—Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forlorn
Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Instead, the forlorn centre-back was left to reflect on his mistakes.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
Note that when forlorn lover Night catfishes lonesome Apo, the film finds a scary new level of social sympathy.
—Armond White, National Review, 15 Jan. 2025
The platform in the city, empty and forlorn for years, has sprung back, crowded every morning with people waiting to take the narrow-gauge, red-and-cream-colored train, which departs twice daily.
—Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forlorn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forlorn
Adjective
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Oklahoma represents the sad conclusion of the Trail of Tears, and Tulsa serves as the meeting point for tribal nations—the Osage, Muscogee, and Cherokee.—
Nicholas Lalla,
WIRED,
4 Mar. 2025
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Police sad officers began providing aid to Mitchell, but medics later pronounced him dead at the scene.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacramento Bee,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Another remembers her lonely childhood with a single mother and resolved it with a partner from a large family and three children.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
5 Mar. 2025
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This distinction is important: your parent might live alone without feeling isolated, or conversely, feel lonely despite being surrounded by people.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Even the relatively staid premiere stole a handful of grim chuckles thanks to its guest star’s exceedingly blasé delivery of impossibly bleak news.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Mar. 2025
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Yet if Mickey’s life is suffocatingly bleak, Mickey 17 is anything but.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Balance enthusiasm with professionalism by showing energy without appearing desperate or overconfident.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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And the people waiting for him, desperate to have a leaking tap fixed.—
Colm Tóibín,
The New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Penguins listed Bunting as a healthy scratch early this season because coaches were unhappy with his effort in games and practices.—
Josh Yohe,
The Athletic,
6 Mar. 2025
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Independent distributors are unhappy with the growing percentage of royalty payments for their artists that are too low to be worth processing.—
Bill Rosenblatt,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This powerful film tells of the friendship between a young man and a peasant farmer who has devoted his life to planting trees throughout his desolate homeland.—
Jeremy Fassler,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
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Orphaned at 3 years old and robbed of her fortune, she’s dragged aboard a ship sailing for New France by her guardian, only to be abandoned on a desolate island.—
Staff,
The Christian Science Monitor,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Is there a way out of our divided country’s seemingly hopeless predicament?—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
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People who find themselves in financial trouble sometimes consider taking drastic measures when their situation appears hopeless.—
Paulette Perhach,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Feingold, who has been in practice for more than 30 years specializing in women’s reproductive health, believes the hospital should have given Pike a mental health evaluation after her confession of feeling depressed and self-harm at Destinii’s birth.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2025
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Examples include formerly depressed but now vibrant cities, such as Pittsburgh, and once stagnant but now relatively successful developing countries, such as Bangladesh and Rwanda.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forlorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forlorn. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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