Forlorn: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Forlorn adjective. Sad and lonely, as if abandoned or left behind.
How to say it
fuh-LORN/fəˈlɔːn/
2 syllables, stressed on the second (LORN).
Meanings
- Sad and lonely, as if abandoned or left behind.
- Of a hope or attempt: very unlikely to succeed.
Forlorn in a sentence
A forlorn teddy bear sat on the platform long after the train had gone.
Their forlorn hope of a refund faded with each automated reply.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- bereft
- desolate
- wretched
- abandoned
Opposite:
- cheerful
Where forlorn comes from
From Old English forloren, lost or ruined, from forlēosan, to lose.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Their _____ hope of a refund faded with each automated reply.
- despondent
- therapeutic
- forlorn
Show the answer
forlorn: Their forlorn hope of a refund faded with each automated reply.