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Objectives: This study illuminated the meanings of existential loneliness (EL) as narrated by frail older people.

Method: Data were collected through individual narrative interviews with 23 people 76–101 years old receiving long-term care and services. A phenomenological hermeneutical analysis was performed, including a naïve reading and two structural analyses as a basis for a comprehensive understanding of EL.

Result: Four themes were identified related to meanings of EL: (1) being trapped in a frail and deteriorating body; (2) being met with indifference; (3) having nobody to share life with; and (4) lacking purpose and meaning. These intertwined themes were synthesized into a comprehensive understanding of EL as ‘being disconnected from life’.

Conclusion: Illness and physical limitation affects access to the world. When being met with indifference and being unable to share one's thoughts and experiences …