1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
seemingly nothing could relieve the losing team's forlornness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desperation
utter loss of hope
with the forlornness of someone who had been disappointed many times before, he abandoned his quest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forlornness
Noun
-
Get ready for tears – of sadness, of fear, and of laughter.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026 -
That's my sadness around that game.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As half-time approached during Sunderland’s visit, there was a growing desperation for an opener from the Emirates crowd.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Saturday in the Battle at the Bay at Mission Bay High School, the last big event before the end of the regular season, Montgomery fell behind by 17 points, went on a 16-0 run, and then lost 57-56 to Steele Canyon when a desperation last-second shot banged off the rim.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Fanning’s name was the first called when nominations were announced, signaling that Scandinavian melancholy would be notably absent that morning.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
But Wednesday’s report about the parking fees quickly backfiring should turn this melancholy into fury.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Frederick battled intermittent despair and sought solace in Swedenborgianism and other, stranger beliefs.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
That’s not always possible, but don’t despair.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His motion veered between expressions of hopelessness and elaborate proposals for prisoner exchanges.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The American intelligence community has long known that insurgent groups—many of which openly seek the destruction of the United States—rely on desperation, food insecurity, and hopelessness to gain recruits.—
Hana Kiros,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Make shallow depressions for your rhizomes and cover so new green growth sits just above the soil surface.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t sink into depression, this is temporary!—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Buckley navigates the film in elemental sorrow without sentimentality, delivering what many consider the performance of the year, and undoubtedly her career so far.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Now, their families are turning sorrow into service.—
Ashley Paul,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Forlornness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forlornness. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
