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Similar meanings

Alone vs Lonely

What is the difference between alone and lonely?

Alone is a fact: no one is with you. Lonely is a feeling: you are sad because you lack company. You can be alone without being lonely.

Alone vs Lonely at a glance

  • alone

    /əˈləʊn/ · adjective, adverb

    Without other people, which can be a good or a bad thing.

    • She lives alone in a small flat in the city.
    • Sometimes I just want to be alone with my thoughts.
    “alone” in the vocabulary guide
  • lonely

    /ˈləʊnli/ · adjective

    Sad because you have no friends or nobody to talk to.

    • I felt really lonely when I first moved abroad.
    • Older people can get lonely if nobody visits them.

How to remember it

Alone = by yourself (a situation). Lonely = unhappy about being by yourself (an emotion). You can even feel lonely in a crowded room.

Good to know

Alone does not go before a noun: say "a man who lives alone", not "an alone man". Lonely can go before a noun: a lonely child, a lonely road. American English also uses lonesome with a similar meaning.

Common mistakes

  • Wrong: I like being lonely on Sunday mornings, it's so peaceful.

    Right: I like being alone on Sunday mornings, it's so peaceful.

  • Wrong: She's an alone woman.

    Right: She's a lonely woman.

Quick quiz

  1. 1.Please don't leave the children in the house.

  2. 2.After all his friends moved away, he started to feel .

Pick the right word for each gap.

Often confused too