Synonyms of forsake

forsake

verb

fər-ˈsāk 

as in to leave

to cause to remain behind

forsaking most of our possessions, we evacuated just before the hurricane struck

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leave
• abandon
• desert
• strand
• quit
• dump
• discard
• relinquish
• ditch
• walk away from
• renounce
• shed
• walk out on
• maroon
• escape
• fling
• sacrifice
• ignore
• vacate
• jettison
• reject
• scrap
• forget
• throw away
• withdraw (from)
• surrender
• separate (from)
• cut off
• repudiate
• throw out
• retreat (from)
• disown
• yield
• abjure
• give up
• deliver
• take off (from)
• disregard
• neglect
• hand over
• junk
• shuck (off)
• distance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• have
• possess
• keep
• retain
• hold
• own
• withhold
• reclaim
• reserve
• save
• redeem
• harbor
• rescue

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb forsake contrast with its synonyms?

The words abandon and desert are common synonyms of forsake. While all three words mean "to leave without intending to return," forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers.

a forsaken lover

When would abandon be a good substitute for forsake?

While the synonyms abandon and forsake are close in meaning, abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection.

abandoned children

When might desert be a better fit than forsake?

The synonyms desert and forsake are sometimes interchangeable, but desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence.

a deserted town

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of forsake

American brands such as Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, and the Row have often forsaken New York Fashion Week to show in Paris or on their own schedules, or not at all. —Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025

Some forsake BOGOs in favor of slashing cents or dollars off select items. —Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025

To do so would be to forsake those living under Russia's oppressive occupation to forced disappearances, deportations, unlawful detentions, torture, and even the kidnapping of Ukraine's children. —Oleksandra Matviichuk, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025

The difference is the wisdom to recognize that giving away public-trust land and diminishing our quality of life forsakes the permanent greater good for the temporary benefit of a few developers and residents. —U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025