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
Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Mahahual Tucked along the Costa Maya in the south, Mahahual is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fishing village with quiet, often deserted beaches that invite long, barefoot walks in the sand.
—Gemma Price, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
The collection of items started when the museum's founder, Corinn Flaherty, spotted the head of a 1940s-era doll on a deserted beach in 2015.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025
Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien star as worker and boss forced to navigate their tensions in a brand new dynamic after surviving a plane crash on a deserted island.
—Ben Rosenstock, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
Outside of his lair, the world looks barren and deserted, save for a few glowing red rifts in the ground where the world is connected to the Upside Down.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
However, when a shipwreck strands the two of them on a deserted island, Annie discovers Chopper is a fraud and knows nothing about survival, leaving her in charge of keeping them alive.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Dec. 2025
In January 1948, Mikhoels was lured to a house on the outskirts of Minsk, crushed by a truck and dumped on a deserted road.
—Wendy Z. Goldman, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025
In this period epic based on a true story, there are five wild men and women, each portrayed by an actor going full tilt, on a deserted island in the Galápagos.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The streets below were strangely empty for a weekday morning, and Madison Square Park, visible through the scaffolding, was deserted save for a few people and their pets braving the day’s frigid winds at the dog park.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 5 Jan. 2026
With such a prosperous and advanced village before them, well before its time, archaeologists wondered why the site had been deserted.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
Yes, moviegoers have pretty much deserted the cineplex to stay home with streaming.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
The hillside grotto where Jesus and Mary are said to have rested is open to visitors but on a recent afternoon was deserted – with burned out candles evidence of prayers but not a single visitor.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 29 Nov. 2025
But in the ring, his mojo deserted him.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
Abbott’s apartment is deserted.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
The tables were empty and the bar deserted, the only sign of life the clank and swish of dishes being washed in the back, through the swinging double doors.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Mahahual Tucked along the Costa Maya in the south, Mahahual is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fishing village with quiet, often deserted beaches that invite long, barefoot walks in the sand.
—Gemma Price, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
The collection of items started when the museum's founder, Corinn Flaherty, spotted the head of a 1940s-era doll on a deserted beach in 2015.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025
Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien star as worker and boss forced to navigate their tensions in a brand new dynamic after surviving a plane crash on a deserted island.
—Ben Rosenstock, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
Outside of his lair, the world looks barren and deserted, save for a few glowing red rifts in the ground where the world is connected to the Upside Down.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
However, when a shipwreck strands the two of them on a deserted island, Annie discovers Chopper is a fraud and knows nothing about survival, leaving her in charge of keeping them alive.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Dec. 2025
In January 1948, Mikhoels was lured to a house on the outskirts of Minsk, crushed by a truck and dumped on a deserted road.
—Wendy Z. Goldman, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025
In this period epic based on a true story, there are five wild men and women, each portrayed by an actor going full tilt, on a deserted island in the Galápagos.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Verb
His case was linked to proceedings against the civil association FundaRedes, though relatives and human-rights groups believe the real target was his brother, who had deserted the armed forces two years earlier.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The streets below were strangely empty for a weekday morning, and Madison Square Park, visible through the scaffolding, was deserted save for a few people and their pets braving the day’s frigid winds at the dog park.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 5 Jan. 2026
With such a prosperous and advanced village before them, well before its time, archaeologists wondered why the site had been deserted.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
Yes, moviegoers have pretty much deserted the cineplex to stay home with streaming.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
The hillside grotto where Jesus and Mary are said to have rested is open to visitors but on a recent afternoon was deserted – with burned out candles evidence of prayers but not a single visitor.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 29 Nov. 2025
But in the ring, his mojo deserted him.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
Abbott’s apartment is deserted.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
The tables were empty and the bar deserted, the only sign of life the clank and swish of dishes being washed in the back, through the swinging double doors.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserted
Adjective
-
Rogers is shopworker Polly Parrish, who gets mistakenly identified as the parent of an abandoned baby.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Thousands of abandoned and derelict vessels around the US pose environmental and navigational challenges.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
During the strike in October, Kaiser rejected workers’ claims about understaffing, insisting that wages are the main reason why workers walked picket lines.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Jan. 2026
-
And having sensitivity and being an actor, where you’re rejected more often than not is challenging.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Barnham site lies in a disused clay pit in Suffolk, UK, preserving traces of the period around 427,000 to 415,000 years ago.—
Jay Kakade
December 30,
New Atlas,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Colonial Pipeline said its network had been accessed via a compromised password that was linked to a disused virtual private networking account used for remote access.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In June, a wildcat strike by gallery attendants, ticket agents and security staff delayed the museum’s daily opening, leaving thousands of visitors stranded beneath the pyramid.—
Thomas Adamson,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The iconic William Golding novel tells of a group of children stranded on an island who attempt to remain civil but begin to fight.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
After the twinkling lights of the holiday season have been packed away, winter can feel downright dull and desolate, especially for families with energetic kids trapped inside by the cold.—
Erica Jackson Curran,
Parents,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Man on Fire tells the story of John Creasy, a high-functioning and skilled Special Forces Mercenary, known for surviving even the most desolate of situations.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Long-Term Care Imperative, a partnership of Care Providers of Minnesota and Leading Age Minnesota representing short-term care, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing homes, notes there are some 17,000 caregiver positions vacant right now.—
Ellen Watters,
Twin Cities,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The new owner plans to refresh the existing retail, lease up vacant space and add multifamily housing, according to a news release.—
Savannah Sicurella,
AJC.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Fans of dark storytelling will find cruel necromancers, derelict mansions and strange alchemies in this page-turning epic.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
4 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Eberle deposited the puck into the vacated cage with 35 seconds to play, dooming the Ducks with his second goal of the night.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
23 Dec. 2025
-
Duncan, whose vacated conviction is still being reviewed by the Louisiana Supreme Court, was released after posting a $150,000 bond.—
JACK BROOK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
28 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserted. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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