loneliness
noun
Simple meaning
Being alone in solitary isolation.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
lohnleenuhsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈloʊnlinəs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The state of being alone in solitary isolation
The condition or state of being alone or having no companions.
A feeling of depression resulting from being alone or from having no companions.
A disposition toward being alone
Sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned
The state of being unfrequented or devoid of human activity (of a place or time).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The state of being alone in solitary isolation
Used this way, loneliness is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- solitariness , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- sadnessnoun
- anxietynoun
- depressionnoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: being alone in solitary isolation
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Collections with this word
Themed sets you can browse for free.
Use it yourself
Knowing “loneliness” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.