as in abandoned
left unoccupied or unused
we had the deserted beach all to ourselves
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rejected
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another
the volunteer became disillusioned with his candidate and deserted to a political rival
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in left
to cause to remain behind
deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deserted
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
In his seventh feature collaboration with Scorsese, DiCaprio will join forces with Jennifer Lawrence, with the two playing a couple stranded in a deserted, snowy European town.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
In Send Help, now in theaters, Linda (Rachel McAdams) and her overbearing boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) survive a plane crash and become stranded on a deserted island, where their past office grievances become a violent fight for survival.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
The film is an adaptation of the ghost novel of the same name, which follows a married couple who travel to Europe to adopt a baby and stay in a deserted hotel filled with eccentric characters.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
An overnight stakeout on a deserted winter beach, a mystery creature ripping line for close to an hour, an angler refusing to quit, and then the moment a drone rises over the water and delivers the answer.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
From Gurnee to North Chicago, there are a lot of positives in this nascent new year, including the positive reuse of deserted properties.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The bears invaded our deserted camp again before dark.
—Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 2026
At noon, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lifted a ban on all nonessential travel that had left the city's normally busy streets virtually deserted during the worst of the snowfall.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The play area was deserted except for two brothers.
—Jenisha Watts, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Upon recognizing that the American policies toward Filipinos were very similar to the racially violent policies targeting African Americans, a lot of these Black soldiers deserted the American ranks and joined up with the Filipino fighters during the Philippine-American War.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Tehran’s streets are deserted Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Within minutes, the square was deserted.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
In Tehran on Sunday, the streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution.
—Brian Melley, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
The streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press.
—Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Alberto Rodríguez, 73, limped with a cane down a deserted industrial street.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
In his seventh feature collaboration with Scorsese, DiCaprio will join forces with Jennifer Lawrence, with the two playing a couple stranded in a deserted, snowy European town.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
In Send Help, now in theaters, Linda (Rachel McAdams) and her overbearing boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) survive a plane crash and become stranded on a deserted island, where their past office grievances become a violent fight for survival.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
The film is an adaptation of the ghost novel of the same name, which follows a married couple who travel to Europe to adopt a baby and stay in a deserted hotel filled with eccentric characters.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
An overnight stakeout on a deserted winter beach, a mystery creature ripping line for close to an hour, an angler refusing to quit, and then the moment a drone rises over the water and delivers the answer.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
From Gurnee to North Chicago, there are a lot of positives in this nascent new year, including the positive reuse of deserted properties.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The bears invaded our deserted camp again before dark.
—Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 2026
At noon, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lifted a ban on all nonessential travel that had left the city's normally busy streets virtually deserted during the worst of the snowfall.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
In the harsh afternoon sun, it was deserted except for dogs dozing on the rocks, and lovers seeking a shred of privacy.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The play area was deserted except for two brothers.
—Jenisha Watts, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Upon recognizing that the American policies toward Filipinos were very similar to the racially violent policies targeting African Americans, a lot of these Black soldiers deserted the American ranks and joined up with the Filipino fighters during the Philippine-American War.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Tehran’s streets are deserted Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Within minutes, the square was deserted.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
In Tehran on Sunday, the streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution.
—Brian Melley, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
The streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press.
—Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserted
Adjective
-
The city has been overwhelmed in recent years by an influx of abandoned and stray dogs and puppies.—
Alyce McFadden,
San Francisco Chronicle,
13 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Democrats are pushing for additional restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which Thune and Republicans have rejected so far.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
About 2% of authors were caught, and their papers rejected, Nature reported.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Under former Mayor Eric Kellogg, the city lost millions on a scheme to rehabilitate a disused hotel.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Understanding that Mandela’s liberation meant that white-minority rule was coming to an end, the founders trekked into the desert, bought a disused mining town wholesale, and established a colony.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Now, viral video footage of a group of dogs stranded on the side of a busy roadway in China has drawn plenty of comparisons to the story, showing a reminiscent group of household critters huddling together.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The measure taken earlier this month aims to free up Russian oil cargo stranded at sea and ease supply shortages caused by the Middle East conflict.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Markets usually jammed with customers were desolate Friday, with some vendors loudly promoting their products in a desperate attempt to attract customers.—
Félix Márquez,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Markets usually jammed with customers were desolate on Friday, with some vendors loudly promoting their products in a desperate attempt to attract customers.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Fields and the future Karahan teamed up with Hunt Realty as well as investors Chief Partners and Crosstie Capital in 2018 to acquire what was the largest remaining vacant property in Frisco — a tract that belonged to the estate of Dallas businessman Bert Fields.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The artistic director position has been effectively vacant for several months.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
When Ken Fulk and Kurt Wootton purchased what would become Durham Ranch—named after one of their dogs—the California wine country property was in disrepair, with a derelict 1940s ranch house and a handful of rickety outbuildings.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
17 Mar. 2026
-
This stretch of the park, an object of fascination for Urbano, contains an array of a hundred or so different models of public gaslights, now obsolete and semi-derelict.—
Javier Montes,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
New York defended its vacated cage effectively for the entire time, but scored just once off a brilliant setup by Matthew Schaefer for Heineman’s deflection.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
And moving chains can take months or even years to bring vacated units onto the market, especially when sales are involved.—
Henry Grabar,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserted. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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