Word Confusion: Alone vs Lone vs Lonely vs Lonesome

Posted July 18, 2019 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

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Alone, lone, lonely, and lonesome are all essentially the same: isolated and alone. After drilling down, however, minor tweaks on the basic definition create subtle differences:

Alone is being content on your own or an object on its own. It always comes after the noun.
Lone is a simple statement of fact. It means something is isolated, single, separate, or unaccompanied. It always comes before the noun.
Lonely is an emotional state. The personification of an object or a person without much hope, who feels abandoned. A sense of sadness, a lack of companionship, and/or a person who wants friends. Its use is preferred to lonesome in formal, serious writing.
Lonesome is more desolate, secluded, lonely in a profound, long-lasting, philosophical, or especially forlorn way.

I’m so lonesome I could cry in my lone state, so alone, so lonely . . .

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Alone	Lone	Lonely	Lonesome
Woman Working is under the CC0 license, via Pixabay, <https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-working-248014/>. — An artist working alone in her studio.	Barrett M82A1 is courtesy of the US Army, which is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — He’s a lone sniper.	Lonely Tree by Henryk Niestrój is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.	Lonesome by Snap it is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.
Part of Grammar:
Adjective; Adverb	Adjective	Adjective	Adjective ¹; Noun ² Plural for the noun: lonesome
Adjective: [Predic.] Having no one else present On one’s own Isolated and lonely Separate, apart, or isolated from others Unique Unequaled Unexcelled Adverb: Having no one else present On one’s own Without others’ help or participation Single-handed Exclusively Only Solitarily Solely Without aid or help Indicating that something is confined to the specified subject or recipient Used to emphasize that only one factor out of several is being considered and that the whole is greater or more extreme	Having no companions Solitary or single Lacking the support of others Isolated [Literary; of a place] Unfrequented and remote Only Lonesome [Literary] Lonely Unfrequented [Archaic] Unmarried or widowed [British; of a parent] Not having a partner to share the care of one’s child or children	Sad because one has no friends or company Without companions Solitary [Of a place] Unfrequented and remote Affected with, characterized by, or causing a depressing feeling of being alone Lonesome Destitute of sympathetic or friendly companionship, intercourse, support, etc. Lone Solitary Without company Companionless Remote from places of human habitation Desolate Unfrequented Bleak Standing apart Isolated	Adjective: [Chiefly North American] Solitary or lonely ¹ Remote and unfrequented Depressed or sad because of the lack of friends, companionship, etc. Lonely Attended with or causing such a state or feeling Deserted in situation Remote, desolate, or isolated Noun: [Informal] On one’s own ² Alone
Examples:
Adjective: She was alone that evening. She was terribly alone and exposed. I want to be alone. One cannot live by bread alone. He is alone among his peers in devotion to duty. Finally, the two of us were alone together. Adverb: He lives alone. Team members are more effective than individuals working alone. We agreed to set up such a test for him alone. It is Congress alone that can declare war. There were fifteen churches in the town center alone.	I approached a lone drinker across the bar. We sheltered under a lone tree. I am by no means a lone voice. It was difficult to find houses in lone rural settings. It featured a single-parent family living on a lone ranch. He was a lone traveler on the road. That company constitutes our lone competitor in the field. We reached the temple through a lone mountain track. He was The Lone Ranger. I didn’t want to be a lone widow and run Bird Song alone. The poverty level among lone mothers is high.	Lonely old people whose families do not care for them. She was passing long lonely hours looking onto the street. Shivering, she contemplated that lonely stretch of country lane. It was such a lonely exile. Passing down a lonely road, Michelle wondered who could stand such isolation. It was a lonely tower. “Aren’t you lonely living on your own.” “Lord no, it’s quite freeing.”	Adjective: She felt lonesome and out of things. It was a lonesome, unfriendly place. She felt so lonesome. It was yet another lonesome evening at home. Such a lonesome road Mari thought as she drove carefully. Noun: She was walking by her lonesome. He ate the meal all by his lonesome. Jeff went hunting, so I’m all by my lonesome this week.
Derivatives:
Noun: aloneness	Noun: loner	Adjective: lonelier, loneliest, lonely-hearted Noun: loneliness	Adverb: lonesomely, lonesomer, lonesomest Noun: lonesomeness
History of the Word:
Middle English, from all + one.	Late Middle English in a shortening of alone.	Late 16th century, from lone + -ly.	The adjective is from the 1640s, from lone + -some. The noun evolved from the adjective around 1899.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

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