Lonely: sadness without enough company

The idea

Use lonely after feel or be when someone misses company.

Examples

• I felt lonely after moving to a new town.
• She gets lonely when her friends are away.
• He was lonely in the crowded office.
• The child felt lonely without a playmate.
• We felt less lonely after joining the choir.
• My grandfather feels lonely since his neighbour moved away.

Watch out

Alone means without other people; lonely describes a feeling and can occur even in a crowd.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the correct option. Without friends nearby, she feels ___ and misses company. (lonely / hungry)

   Show answer or example answer

   lonely

   Lonely expresses the sadness of missing company.

2. Choose the correct option. He enjoys reading ___, with nobody else in the room. (alone / lonely)

   Show answer or example answer

   alone

   Alone describes being without others, without implying sadness.

3. Choose the correct option. After making friends, I felt ___ lonely. (less / least)

   Show answer or example answer

   less

   Less shows the feeling diminished after meeting people.

Use it today

Describe a time someone missed companionship.