forlorn
adjective
[ fəˈlɔːn ]
• pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely.
• "forlorn figures at bus stops"
Similar:
unhappy,
sad,
miserable,
sorrowful,
dejected,
despondent,
disconsolate,
wretched,
abject,
morose,
regretful,
broken-hearted,
heartbroken,
down,
downcast,
dispirited,
downhearted,
heavy-hearted,
crestfallen,
depressed,
melancholy,
blue,
gloomy,
glum,
mournful,
despairing,
doleful,
woebegone,
woeful,
tearful,
long-faced,
joyless,
cheerless,
out of sorts,
pitiful,
pitiable,
heart-rending,
piteous,
pathetic,
uncared-for,
down in the mouth,
down in the dumps,
fed up,
lachrymose,
desolate,
deserted,
abandoned,
forsaken,
forgotten,
neglected,
• (of an aim or endeavour) unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled.
• "a forlorn attempt to escape"
Similar:
hopeless,
with no chance of success,
beyond hope,
useless,
futile,
pointless,
purposeless,
vain,
unavailing,
nugatory,
unsuccessful,
failed,
bootless,
Origin:
Old English forloren ‘depraved, morally abandoned’, past participle of forlēosan ‘lose’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch verliezen and German verlieren, and ultimately to for- and lose. forlorn (sense 1) dates from the 16th century.
forlorn hope
• a persistent or desperate hope that is unlikely to be fulfilled.
• "he urged them to stay in the forlorn hope of restoring peace"
