1
as in lonely
sad from lack of companionship or separation from others
a lonesome kitten left at the pound by its hard-hearted owners
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lone
not being in the company of others
a lonesome cypress tree on a rocky, windswept point
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the playground seems especially lonesome now that there are no young children in the neighborhood
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Recent Examples of lonesome
Beyond its many plot holes and lackluster plot, the second season saw Reacher team up with his ex-army buddies, which kind of defeats the entire point of Reacher being a one-man army who can take down even the most intimidating foes all by his lonesome.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
The penguin had left on a lonesome pilgrimage, solus rex, and no one had the slightest clue why.
—Christian Kracht, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for lonesome
Erik Kain, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
The penguin had left on a lonesome pilgrimage, solus rex, and no one had the slightest clue why.
—Christian Kracht, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for lonesome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lonesome
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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Atlanta's lone run came in the seventh inning when Luke Williams hit a solo home run to left field.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
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Moore is the lone woman in a boys’ club of celebrated actors, including Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, and Kevin Spacey.—
Katie Rife,
EW.com,
2 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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The path to ethical AI is not a solitary journey for individual companies but a shared effort involving stakeholders from all walks of life.—
Madhava Rao Kunchala,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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The multi-month grind of long, solitary hours and deadlines is also incompatible with the deferred pay model that many crew members working on 20-30-day indie shoots accept.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This week, Middleton wore the jacket with a dark brown turtleneck, pleated midi-skirt and a similar style of knee-high boots.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Master of maturation Andrea Wilson adds her own tasting notes, describing baking spice, dark fruit, toffee, fragrant citrus, and floral notes on the palate, followed by a round, complex finish.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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One option for the single family homes will start in the high $300,000s and another will start in the low $400,000s.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Mar. 2025
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If this were to happen in reality, the very first thing is that every single government, every single big business would invent an alternative.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
TIME,
5 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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On the new Foxes in the Snow, a solo album that benches his longtime backing band the 400 Unit in favor of just his plaintive voice and Martin acoustic guitar, Isbell seems to realize that not every song needs to be an opus.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2025
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Ryan posed on the carpet for solo photos and alongside designer Michael Kors, 65.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lonesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lonesome. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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