abandoned 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈban-dənd How to pronounce abandoned (audio)
Definition of abandonednext
1
as in deserted
left unoccupied or unused she consciously avoided walking past the abandoned house, with its broken windows and sagging porch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rampant
showing no signs of being under control wild, abandoned dancing that shocked the staid chaperones at the debutante ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

abandoned

2 of 2

verb

past tense of abandon
1
as in indulged
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly more than ready to abandon himself to a life of complete idleness for the duration of his vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in left
to cause to remain behind abandoned the group that he had been hiking with and struck out on his own

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in canceled
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to) the bad weather forced NASA to abandon the launch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in discontinued
to stop doing (something) permanently marriage customs that were abandoned decades ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abandoned
Adjective
Antonia Noori Farzan The Providence Police Department is urging drivers to stay off the road, saying that stuck and abandoned cars are causing problems and preventing the city from getting back to normal. — Eryn Dion, The Providence Journal, 24 Feb. 2026 Rogers is shopworker Polly Parrish, who gets mistakenly identified as the parent of an abandoned baby. — Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
The company abandoned the name Muzak in 2013, by which time most of us had long stopped noticing the omnipresence of background music in our daily lives. — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 The effort, which had major bipartisan support, was abandoned in favor of vote pairing, an informal arrangement where an absent lawmaker coordinates with an opposing lawmaker who agrees to abstain or withhold their vote. — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abandoned
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abandoned
  1. deserted
  2. rampant
  3. indulged
  4. stranded
  5. canceled
  6. discontinued
  7. disused
  8. runaway
Adjective
  • There’s even a nod to 28 Days Later, with Zeta-Jones hobbling across a deserted Westminster Bridge in London wearing blue hospital scrubs, just like Cillian Murphy’s Jim in the 2002 horror movie.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The landscape of the deserted street was becoming all red sand and brown stone.
    — Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of deserted
Adjective
  • The extremely soapy, enjoyably satirical true-life drama chronicles love, rampant betrayal and a brazen murder plot through three decades of the iconic Gucci fashion house.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The federal government first created tax incentives for companies to implement employee ownership in the 1970s when stagflation was rampant and Washington wanted to generate more retirement assets for working Americans.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rampant
Verb
  • When Maserati brought me back, exhilaration turned to fixation, which Weiss happily indulged by bringing me back for a third time to be coached by Rod Macleod.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In Salzburg, Dudamel indulged the Vienna Philharmonic’s incomparable lushness, those plush strings, glowing winds, golden brass, voluminous timpani.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of indulged
Verb
  • In order to test him during his childhood, his parents do everything from shooting an apple off his head to leaving him stranded in a dangerous part of town, forcing John to fend for himself.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
  • For those stranded by a flood, survival depends on many factors including access to oxygen, food and water.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of stranded
Verb
  • If the league and union can’t agree on a new contract by some time in March, some regular-season games likely would be canceled.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • South Korean officials said this week that a second exercise, for amphibious landings scheduled for September, was canceled in June.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of canceled
Verb
  • Many of the pieces were missing roofs, doors or other accessories that had long since been discontinued, turning the project into a restoration challenge as much as a shopping spree.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Changes with this advisory The Tropical Storm Warning east of the Vermilion/Cameron Parish Line in Louisiana has been discontinued.
    — MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of discontinued
Adjective
  • At least 14 artisanal miners are dead and scores are injured at a disused mine in South Africa, police said Tuesday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Motion opened the gallery in Kings Cross in a disused betting parlor next door to a kebab shop in 2016 while also holding down a day job.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of disused
Adjective
  • As high-quality synthetic re-creations become cheap and accessible, cloning has become a more desirable option for studios struggling with runaway production costs.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Mariner 2 carried no cameras (surprisingly), but its observations were the first detailed measurements of the Venus atmosphere and Venus' temperature, proving to scientists that the planet experienced a runaway greenhouse effect in the past.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of runaway

Browse Nearby Words

abandon
abandoned
abandoner
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abandoned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abandoned. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All