Lonely describes feeling sad or empty because you do not have enough friends, company, or emotional connection. It can also describe a place that is quiet and far from other people.
It comes from “alone” with the adjective ending “‑ly,” originally meaning “solitary” or “remote.” Over time, it took on a stronger emotional sense of sadness.
You can feel lonely even if you’re surrounded by people, which shows that loneliness is more about quality than quantity of relationships. Strangely, when we feel lonely, we often pull back from others, even though reaching out is exactly what would help.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.