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

The story claims a heartsick Noccalula threw herself over the waterfall instead of forsaking her true love by being forced to marry another. —Jennifer Stewart Kornegay, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2025

In practice, that means neither Croatia nor Serbia claims them, although officials say that does not mean they have been forsaken. —Richard Collett, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025

The drama is set in the mid-1990s and follows a pivotal day in the life of Murphy’s eponymous character and his students amidst a world that has forsaken them. —Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025

This has become a bar staple as more and more of my friends forsake drinking in favor of long-distance running. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 3 Oct. 2025