Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

lonely

 adjective
     
lone‧ly S3 comparative lonelier, superlative loneliest
1 unhappy because you are alone or do not have anyone to talk to [= lonesome American English]
a lonely old man
Don't you get lonely being on your own all day?
! Do not use lonely to mean 'without anyone else'. Use alone: She is afraid to travel alone (NOT travel lonely).
2 a lonely experience or situation makes you unhappy because you are alone or do not have anyone to talk to:
a lonely journey
lonely life/existence
He led a lonely life with few friends.
3

the lonely

[plural] people who are lonely
4 a lonely place is a long way from where people live and very few people go there [= lonesome American English; = remote, desolate]
—loneliness noun [uncountable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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