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
Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
And the children's playground was completely deserted.
—John Ramos, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Deep in the coastal mountains above the sparkling Pacific resort of Mazatlán, towns spaced along a twisting road appear nearly deserted, the quiet broken only by the occasional passing truck.
—Aarón Ibarra, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Deep in the coastal mountains above the sparkling Pacific resort of Mazatlan, towns spaced along a twisting road appear nearly deserted, the quiet broken only by the occasional passing truck.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Officers rushed to the deserted area and discovered the infant girl dead in the portable toilet's holding tank.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Each season, the show, which debuted on Netflix in December 2021, leaves a dozen or so attractive single Koreans stranded on a deserted island with few resources.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
In Send Help, Linda (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, 7 Feb. 2026
Displaced families often spend weeks, sometimes months, in makeshift dwellings, including public squares and deserted government buildings, while children lose months or even years of education as schools close or become inaccessible owing to gang activity.
—Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 23 Feb. 2026
As Black voters deserted Republicans, the segregationist George Wallace proved with his ’68 presidential run that white southerners were up for grabs.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
The venue compound was largely deserted after three days of large crowds at the event.
—Aditya Soni, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
In 2020, CalGEM ordered AllenCo to plug the wells after if determined the company had essentially deserted the site, leaving the wells unplugged and in an unsafe condition.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Harris is already signaling that she isn’t done with her political career, doing interviews on her book tour and teasing a potential comeback this week online targeting Gen Z voters who deserted the party in 2024.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Fedorov, the new defense minister, acknowledges the scale of the problem, telling the Ukrainian parliament some 2 million people are ignoring their call-up papers, while 200,000 others have deserted.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
In the end, in 1992, more than two-thirds of white people, motivated by fear and economic uncertainty, deserted the apartheid regime.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Streets of the town were deserted Friday, many homes had their curtains drawn and shops were closed.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
But if a well is deserted or an operator insolvent, the state can be responsible for plugging it.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
And the children's playground was completely deserted.
—John Ramos, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Deep in the coastal mountains above the sparkling Pacific resort of Mazatlán, towns spaced along a twisting road appear nearly deserted, the quiet broken only by the occasional passing truck.
—Aarón Ibarra, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Deep in the coastal mountains above the sparkling Pacific resort of Mazatlan, towns spaced along a twisting road appear nearly deserted, the quiet broken only by the occasional passing truck.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Officers rushed to the deserted area and discovered the infant girl dead in the portable toilet's holding tank.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Each season, the show, which debuted on Netflix in December 2021, leaves a dozen or so attractive single Koreans stranded on a deserted island with few resources.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
In Send Help, Linda (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, 7 Feb. 2026
Displaced families often spend weeks, sometimes months, in makeshift dwellings, including public squares and deserted government buildings, while children lose months or even years of education as schools close or become inaccessible owing to gang activity.
—Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
A day after the violence broke out, streets are deserted Monday as locals and tourists heed remain-in-place orders.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 23 Feb. 2026
As Black voters deserted Republicans, the segregationist George Wallace proved with his ’68 presidential run that white southerners were up for grabs.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
The venue compound was largely deserted after three days of large crowds at the event.
—Aditya Soni, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
In 2020, CalGEM ordered AllenCo to plug the wells after if determined the company had essentially deserted the site, leaving the wells unplugged and in an unsafe condition.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Harris is already signaling that she isn’t done with her political career, doing interviews on her book tour and teasing a potential comeback this week online targeting Gen Z voters who deserted the party in 2024.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Fedorov, the new defense minister, acknowledges the scale of the problem, telling the Ukrainian parliament some 2 million people are ignoring their call-up papers, while 200,000 others have deserted.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
In the end, in 1992, more than two-thirds of white people, motivated by fear and economic uncertainty, deserted the apartheid regime.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Streets of the town were deserted Friday, many homes had their curtains drawn and shops were closed.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserted
Adjective
-
The abandoned Westminster Mall has turned into a hotspot for vandalism since shuttering in late 2025, according to police who are attempting to raise awareness about the issue.—
Lesley Marin,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Rogers is shopworker Polly Parrish, who gets mistakenly identified as the parent of an abandoned baby.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Naperville City Council members rejected the request, arguing that the proposal made the center feel less welcoming to the Naperville community.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Years later, when Taylor went to apply for an apartment, they were told they were being rejected because of poor credit.—
Katy Golvala,
Hartford Courant,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
Peach growers throughout the Yuba-Sutter area and Central Valley are reckoning with the fallout from Del Monte’s bankruptcy, which stranded many growers with 20-year contracts for peaches totaling more than $550 million.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Rocker stranded a runner at third base to end the first inning.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The gang pulls up to a desolate area, finding Albert's most recent car there.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The project takes place deep in the desolate wilderness where a crumbling castle stands with a mysterious presence lurking within.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The left-wing Green Party’s Hannah Spencer won the contest for the vacant parliamentary seat of Gorton and Denton, with Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party coming second, and Labour pushed into third place.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The Council was able to avoid layoffs, balancing its billion dollar budgets by slashing vacant positions and hiking fees for parking and other programs, in those years.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Along a six-mile walk through a stunning valley near Rosedale, in North Yorkshire, Goldsworthy has rebuilt and reinterpreted ten derelict stone buildings, each of which a visitor opens with a key.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 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
-
Brobbey flicks the ball into the path of Diarra, who carries it into the vacated space, before his shot deflects off Axel Tuanzebe and gives Sunderland the lead.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
After moving on from Chris Boucher on Thursday, the Celtics promoted from within to fill his vacated roster spot.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserted. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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