 Difference between alone, lonely and only from espressoenglish.net The word alone means by yourself. There is nobody else with you. For example, I like to take long walks alone so that I have time to think. He got up and left the restaurant, leaving me alone at the table. Lonely means feeling sad and isolated. It is a negative emotion. For example, I was lonely on my first day of class because I didn't have any friends. She can't stand being single. She says she feels lonely without a boyfriend. So again, alone is neutral. It means by yourself, with nobody else around. And lonely is a negative emotion because you're feeling sad and isolated. The word only means just one and can be used with people, objects or actions. After the word only, we must have a person, object or action. Here are some examples. Dana was the only student who understood today's English lesson. I have only one pair of sunglasses. I didn't have a lot of money so I only bought this t-shirt. If you'd like to understand confusing words, check out my e-book, 600 plus Confusing English Words Explained, available at espressoenglish.net. This e-book has clear explanations with lots of examples. It'll teach you more than 600 confusing words in English and how to use them correctly.