English Explanatory Dictionary

forlorn

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Abandoned, deserted, left behind.
  2. Pitifully sad, wretched, miserable; lonely, especially from feeling abandoned, deserted, forsaken.
  3. Unlikely to succeed; hopeless.
noun
  1. A forlorn hope.
  2. A member of a forlorn hope.
verb
  1. past participle of forlese.

Pronunciation

fər-lôrnʹ fôr-lôrnʹ /fəˈlɔːn/ /fɔːˈlɔːn/ /fɚˈlɔɹn/ /fɔɹˈlɔɹn/ en-us-forlorn.ogg en-au-forlorn.ogg

Word forms

forlorn forlorner more forlorn forlornest most forlorn forlorne forlorns

Etymology

From Middle English forlorn, forloren, from Old English forloren (past participle of forlēosan (“to lose”)), from Proto-Germanic *fraluzanaz (“lost”), past participle of Proto-Germanic *fraleusaną (“to lose”), equivalent to for- + lorn. Cognate with West Frisian ferlern (“lost”), Saterland Frisian ferlädden (“lost”), Dutch verloren (“lost”), German Low German verloren (“lost”), German verloren (“lost”), Swedish förlorad (“lost”). See further at lese/leese, lorn.

Synonyms

desolate forsaken peopleless abandoned derelict desert deserted discarded dropped forlorn high and dry left behind orphaned despondent lonesome atrabiliary atrabilious blitheless dispirited blue bummed out chapfallen cheerless chopfallen crestfallen cut up damp dejected depressed disgruntled disconsolate disheartened dismal doleful dolesome down down in the dumps down in the mouth downcast downhearted downsome dull elegiac elegious gloomy glum grief-stricken grieving heavy-hearted heartsore heartsick inconsolable infelicitous jawfallen joyless lachrymose lamentful low low-spirited lugubrious

Related words

forlorn hope lovelorn

Derived words

forlornity forlornling forlornly forlornness unforlorn
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