forlorn stresses dejection, woe, and listlessness at separation from one held dear.

FORLORN definition: 1. alone and unhappy; left alone and not cared for: 2. A forlorn place feels empty and sad: 3…. Learn more.

FORLORN definition: desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance. See examples of forlorn used in a sentence.

Definition of forlorn adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Sad or lonely, especially from being deserted or abandoned: "waved them goodbye from the door like forlorn parents waving off a honeymoon couple" (Anne Bartlett).

Dec 1, 2025 · The condition of the besieged, in the mean time, was forlorn in the extreme; not so much from want of food, though their supplies were scanty, as from excessive toil and exposure.

A forlorn hope or attempt is one that you think has no chance of success. Peasants have left the land in the forlorn hope of finding a better life in cities. ...a forlorn effort to keep from losing my …

He led a forlorn [= desperate] attack against the enemy. She wandered forlornly through the deserted neighborhood.

Of persons or places: Abandoned, forsaken, deserted; left alone, desolate.

When someone is forlorn, it means that they not only feel miserable but simultaneously desolate because they believe they are alone. Forlorn is a very old word in English, and in fact it comes …