Meaning & use
loneliness
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Meanings
noununcountable
The sad feeling of lacking company or close contact with other people.
Grammar: No plural and no a: feel loneliness, not feel a loneliness.
Patterns
- loneliness of something
- feel loneliness
Moving to a new city filled her with loneliness.
Loneliness is common among people who live far from family.
He wrote poems about the loneliness of winter nights.
noununcountableliterary
The state of a place being remote and having few people.
Grammar: Descriptive, often literary: the loneliness of the moor.
Patterns
- the loneliness of a place
Travelers were struck by the loneliness of the mountain road.
The loneliness of the desert made the silence heavy.
She enjoyed the loneliness of the empty beach.
Common combinations
- feelings of loneliness
- Many students report feelings of loneliness in their first term.
- combat loneliness
- The club helps older people combat loneliness.
- overcome loneliness
- He overcame loneliness by joining a choir.
- a deep loneliness
- A deep loneliness settled over her after the move.
- loneliness and isolation
- Researchers studied loneliness and isolation among the elderly.
- relieve loneliness
- A pet can relieve loneliness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- isolation
- Isolation describes being physically or socially cut off, while loneliness is the painful feeling about it.
- solitude
- Solitude is being alone, often by choice and with pleasure, whereas loneliness is unwanted.
- desolation
- Desolation is a stronger, bleaker word that also applies to empty places.
- aloneness
- Aloneness is a neutral and rarer word for being alone, while loneliness carries sadness.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: loneliness or solitude?
loneliness vs solitude
Solitude is a peaceful state of being alone that may be chosen, while loneliness is the unhappy feeling of missing company.
Practice
Which sentence correctly shows the difference between loneliness and solitude?
Choose one answer.
Solitude is pleasant, chosen time alone, and loneliness is unwanted sadness. The other options reverse or distort the contrast.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “loneliness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.