In the following question, choose the word from the options which is opposite in meaning (antonym) to the given word FORLORN.

Introduction / Context:
This antonym question tests your understanding of emotional vocabulary. The word forlorn is commonly used in literature and everyday English to describe a deep, lonely sadness or a sense of abandonment. To find the antonym, you must identify which option expresses the opposite emotional state, not just a generally positive condition like being lucky or fortunate.

Given Data / Assumptions:
Target word: FORLORN.
Options: JOYFUL, LUCKY, FORTUNATE, FREE.
You must choose the opposite in meaning to forlorn.
Context: describing a person or scene, such as a forlorn child or a forlorn attempt.
Assume we are focusing mainly on emotional tone rather than external circumstances like wealth or luck.

Concept / Approach:
Forlorn means very sad, lonely, abandoned, or hopeless. It combines emotional sadness with a sense of being left alone or without support. Therefore, the antonym should indicate a state of happiness or cheerful emotional fulfilment. Among the options, joyful directly captures an emotional state that is the clear opposite of forlorn. Lucky and fortunate refer to favourable circumstances, which do not always guarantee joy; free refers to lack of restriction rather than emotional mood.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Define forlorn as sad, lonely, and often abandoned or without hope. Step 2: Evaluate JOYFUL. Joyful means full of joy, very happy, or delighted. This directly opposes the sadness and hopelessness implied by forlorn. Step 3: Evaluate LUCKY. Lucky refers to having good luck, but a lucky person is not necessarily emotionally joyful; luck describes circumstances, not always inner feelings. Step 4: Evaluate FORTUNATE. Fortunate is similar to lucky and relates to favourable situations; again, it does not necessarily express the opposite of loneliness or emotional sadness. Step 5: Evaluate FREE. Free focuses on not being confined or controlled, which does not directly oppose sadness or loneliness; a free person can still feel forlorn. Step 6: Therefore, JOYFUL is the most accurate antonym of forlorn among the given options.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can compare example sentences: She sat there looking forlorn clearly contrasts with She sat there looking joyful. The emotional pictures are opposites. If you try She sat there looking lucky or fortunate, the sentences sound odd, because we do not normally describe facial expressions in those terms. This shows that joyful is the true emotional opposite.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
LUCKY describes chance or fortune, not necessarily emotions, so it does not directly contrast with the sadness in forlorn.
FORTUNATE has the same limitation; it emphasises favourable conditions rather than inner emotional state.
FREE is about liberty or lack of restrictions; one may be free yet feel lonely and sad, so it is not an antonym of forlorn.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes equate any positive sounding adjective with an antonym, but antonym questions require a close match in the same semantic field. Here, forlorn is an emotional word, so you need an emotional opposite, not just a word that implies success or good luck. Keeping track of whether a word describes feelings, situations, or moral qualities will help you choose more accurately in exam conditions.

Final Answer:
The correct antonym of FORLORN is JOYFUL.