What does forlorner mean?
Forlorner is a rare English noun denoting a person who has been abandoned, deserted, or cast out. Although dictionaries sometimes gloss it as an outcast, its central meaning is the person left behind rather than the modern abstract concept of social exclusion. The word is chiefly archaic and literary, and it can carry a heightened, melodramatic emotional quality that is stronger and more specific than that of outcast. It may describe someone rejected by a lover, abandoned by a family, or isolated by circumstances that leave them with no support or sense of belonging. Forlorner entered English from German in the sixteenth century and was more common in older literature than it is today. In contemporary writing it is most likely to appear deliberately in historical dialogue, dramatic speech, or passages seeking an antiquated tone. In ordinary discussion, an abandoned person, castaway, or outcast will usually sound more natural.
nounA person who has been abandoned or forsaken; an outcast.
- A person who has been abandoned or forsaken, especially one left without family, support, or social belonging.
"After her husband deserted her, she was regarded by the village as a forlorner."
"After her husband deserted her, she was regarded by the village as a forlorner."
"The heroine's most affecting speech is that of a forlorner rejected by the only family she has left."
The regular plural is forlorners, although plural forms are rarely encountered because the word itself is now uncommon.
"The novel depicts two forlorners living at the edge of the town."
Forlorner preserves an old, dramatic way of naming someone who has been left behind.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does forlorner come from?
Forlorner entered English in the sixteenth century, borrowed from the German Verlassener, an obsolete noun meaning an abandoned or forsaken person. This was formed from verlassen, “to leave, forsake,” which developed from Old High German verlezzan. Cognate English forms include leave and let, while forlet is a now archaic compound built on let.
Related word forms
How forlorner is actually used
The word is archaic and literary, with a strongly melancholic and melodramatic tone. It is chiefly encountered in older writing, historical fiction, and consciously archaic speech; modern prose normally uses outcast, castaway, or abandoned person instead.
Easily confused with forlorner
Forlorner is a noun naming an abandoned person, whereas forlorn is usually an adjective describing someone or something that is forsaken, lonely, or despairing.