forlorn

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forlorn

/fəˈlɔːn/ UK
/fɔː-/ UK
/fɚˈlɔɹn/ US
/fɔɹ-/ US

Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)n

Where it comes from

From Middle English forlorn, forloren, from Old English forloren (past participle of forlēosan (“to lose”)), from Proto-Germanic *fraluzanaz (“lost”), past participle of Proto-Germanic *fraleusaną (“to lose”), equivalent to for- + lorn. Cognate with West Frisian ferlern (“lost”), Saterland Frisian ferlädden (“lost”), Dutch verloren (“lost”), German Low German verloren (“lost”),

German verloren (“lost”), Swedish förlorad (“lost”). See further at lese/leese, lorn.

adjective forlorner · more forlorn · forlornest · most forlorn · forlorne

Abandoned, deserted, left behind. For miſerie doth braueſt mindes abate, / And make them ſeeke for that they wont to ſcorne, / Of fortune and of hope at once forlorne.
Similar: desolate, forsaken, peopleless, abandoned, derelict, desert, deserted, discarded, dropped, forlorn, high and dry, left behind
Pitifully sad, wretched, miserable; lonely, especially from feeling abandoned, deserted, forsaken. For here forlorn and loſt I tread, / With fainting ſteps and ſlow; / Where wilds immeaſurably ſpread, / Seem lengthening as I go.
Similar: despondent, forsaken, lonesome, atrabiliary, atrabilious, blitheless, dispirited, blue, bummed out, chapfallen, cheerless, chopfallen
Unlikely to succeed; hopeless. To begin therefore with Traditions, which is your forlorn hope that in the first place we are to set upon: this must I needs tell you before we begin, that you much mistake the matter, if you think that traditions of all sorts promiscuously are struck at by our religion.
Similar: despairful, desperate

noun forlorns

A forlorn hope. The Regiment being drawn up into the former Figure, they may proceed to Firings upon it, firſt let the Forlorns fire five or six times over, being commanded by the eldeſt Captains Lieutenant, who is to be aſſiſted by a couple of able Serjeants; after let him wheel off to the right and left, and brin
A member of a forlorn hope.

verb

obsolete, participle, past past participle of forlese

Translations

Every language

adj abandoned, deserted, left behind

Español	abandonado
한국어	버림받다 beorimbatda
中文	被遺棄的 /被遗弃的 bèi yíqì de
Português	abandonado
Français	abandonné, perdu
Deutsch	verlassen
Italiano	abbandonato, negletto, derelitto, dimenticato
Ελληνικά	εγκαταλελειμμένος egkataleleimménos, έρημος érimos
Русский	забро́шенный zabróšennyj, поки́нутый pokínutyj

adj miserable

Español	desamparado
한국어	쓸쓸하다 sseulsseulhada
中文	悲慘 /悲惨 bēicǎn, 孤獨 /孤独 gūdú, 孤苦伶仃 gūkǔlíngdīng
Português	desamparado
Français	misérable
Deutsch	verlassen
Italiano	miserevole
Ελληνικά	άθλιος áthlios, ελεεινός eleeinós, έρημος érimos
Русский	несча́стный nesčástnyj, одино́кий odinókij, жа́лкий žálkij
العربية	مَنْبُوذ manbūḏ

adj unlikely to succeed

Español	desesperado
中文	不可能成功的 bùkěnéng chénggōng de
Français	désespéré
Deutsch	aussichtslos, hoffnungslos
Русский	безнадёжный beznadjóžnyj

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MLA

"forlorn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/forlorn. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

forlorn. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/forlorn

Chicago

"forlorn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/forlorn.

BibTeX

@misc{forlorn_2026,
  title = {forlorn},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/forlorn},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}