loneness C2+ Topic:Law & Government US /ˈloʊnnəs/ UK /ˈləʊnnəs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun (literary) the state of being alone or solitary He found a strange peace in the loneness of the moors. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · (literary) the state of... solitudelonelinessalonenessisolationseclusion ↔ Opposites companycompanionship Word family Related forms lonelonelylonesome Etymology AI details From lone (a shortening of alone, ultimately from Old English āna 'one, alone') + the noun-forming suffix -ness. āna Old English -nes Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # loneness **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈloʊnnəs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈləʊnnəs/ ## Meanings 1. (literary) the state of being alone or solitary ## Examples - He found a strange peace in the loneness of the moors. ## Synonyms - solitude - loneliness - aloneness - isolation - seclusion ## Antonyms - company - companionship ## Related Forms - lone - lonely - lonesome ## Roots and Affixes - Root: āna - Root: -nes ## Etymology From lone (a shortening of alone, ultimately from Old English āna 'one, alone') + the noun-forming suffix -ness. ## AI Etymology Loneness comes from lone (a shortening of alone, ultimately from Old English āna 'one, alone') + the noun-forming suffix -ness. The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As a noun, it carries the sense "(literary) the state of being alone or solitary", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Old English āna and Old English -nes. Related words include lone, lonely, lonesome. ## Topics - Law & Government - Word Formation & Derivatives - Register & Style markdown