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
-
People leaving Los Angeles and California are raising the cost of living in some red states after years of relocating from the left-leaning state.—
Lindsay Kornick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
-
Panish said Grossman then struck the two older boys at nearly 73 mph, sending Mark 252 feet down the road and leaving a Mercedes grille pattern on his body.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Morgan Gorris, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, published research last fall showing that people living in arid parts of the country — mainly the West — are more likely to be infected.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Amid the dreary wasteland of modern technology, Black nerdom might save us yet.—
Tatiana Lee Rodriguez,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
-
New York City is currently a bit of a wasteland for big box stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods or even Walmart that often sell that merchandise.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
28 May 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 5 Jun. 2026.
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