as in barren
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops
we were lost in the desert for days without food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in discipline
usually deserts plural
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
the robbers got their just deserts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to abandon
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 to leave
to cause to remain behind
deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in arid
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of desert
Marlow Stern, Variety, 3 June 2026
Some vacationers might want to go hiking on desert trails, and others might want to sit beside the pool and read.
—Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 24 May 2026
Contrary to months of breathless headlines, the president’s base never deserted him and continues to punish those who defy him.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
The South Coast Air Basin includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desert
Noun
The team managed to gain access to festival in the desert’s shadowy leadership and key players, so expect some startling revelations.
—Marlow Stern, Variety, 3 June 2026
Some vacationers might want to go hiking on desert trails, and others might want to sit beside the pool and read.
—Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
Verb
Their form has deserted them at the worst possible time.
—Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 24 May 2026
Contrary to months of breathless headlines, the president’s base never deserted him and continues to punish those who defy him.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
Adjective
Cocktail grapefruit grows wherever conventional grapefruit grows, although fruit quality is best, as with grapefruit generally, in desert or semi-desert conditions.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
The South Coast Air Basin includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desert
Noun
-
Historically, the difference has come down to political discipline, institutional credibility, and the absence of an external shock.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
-
Women’s sports were not created because women lacked talent, discipline or courage.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Kuna fires out, abandoned home burns Smoke poured out of two fires in Kuna on Thursday, said James Trumble, the Kuna Rural Fire District’s assistant chief.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
29 May 2026
-
And then there’s the fact that in the season finale’s final minutes, set in 2020, the Soviet spaceship MAPC-94, abandoned in space after its engines failed decades ago, turns itself on.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Several students testified that Anthony was repeatedly asked to leave the Memorial High School tent before the confrontation escalated.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
-
That would leave the US emergency oil reserve with the least amount of oil since the early 1980s, when the economy was smaller and consumed less energy.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
The semi-arid region’s population has exploded over the past century—the river served only 457,000 people in 1922—as has its agriculture sector, which now covers more than 5 million acres of farmland and accounts for 70% of all water use.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
8 June 2026
-
Building more data centers in arid areas would put even greater stress on water resources for other urban uses as well as agriculture.—
Thomas Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
-
Amid the dreary wasteland of modern technology, Black nerdom might save us yet.—
Tatiana Lee Rodriguez,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Each of those pullbacks ultimately marked a major pivot low, leading not only to a recovery back toward the prior highs but eventually to new highs and multi-year advances before the next meaningful correction emerged.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
-
But performing normal error correction could keep some of these logical qubits stable for up to 90 rounds.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The court also rejected the New Orleans City Council’s attempt to hold a special election, which would have given Duncan the option to run again.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
On Tuesday, however, the federation learned that the CAS panel had largely rejected its arguments but has annulled the first sanction’s partial-stadium closure.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
During these dry winter months, game viewing peaks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
Once a major city on Rome’s ancient trade route, Jerash was buried and preserved by the dry climate for centuries until excavations began in 1925.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desert. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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