Loneliness
/ˈloʊn.li.nəs/noun
The state of being alone and feeling isolated or cut off from others.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from the same ancient root behind “alone,” which began as a form meaning “all one,” so loneliness is literally the experience of being reduced to one.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*al-
“A root associated with growing, nourishing, or increasing, later developing into words for completeness and wholeness in Germanic branches.”
Old English
English
ān
“One; single; alone.”
Old English
English
ānlic
“Alone, solitary; singular.”
Middle English
English
lonely
“Alone; solitary; later also desolate or feeling isolated.”
17th Century
English
loneliness
“The state or condition of being lonely.”
Modern English
English
loneliness
“The feeling or state of being alone, especially when unwelcome or painful.”