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
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
Rue Roger-Salengro was quiet, almost deserted, lined by warehouse walls and the blind backs of houses whose façades looked onto the parallel street, Rue de la République.
—Annie Ernaux, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
One ship sank, one deserted, and the others spent weeks getting beaten up by the sea near Baffin Island before finally making it ashore to establish a mining camp, the ruins of which are still visible.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
Bro, being deserted on a deserted island back in the fifties is way different than nowadays.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 May 2026
While some people are focused on curating a list of hypothetical music to bring to a deserted island someday, Hayden Arnot has been busy bringing live music back to the popular island of Nantucket right now.
—Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 27 May 2026
Bradley and Linda survive the crash and wash up on what appears to be a deserted island.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026
Cast Away tells the story of FedEx troubleshooter Chuck Noland (Hanks) who becomes stranded on a deserted island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
Commuters were stranded in various suburbs and the city center remained deserted.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
ABC News, 8 June 2026
In the last decade, young audiences coveted by advertisers have deserted late night TV shows for streaming channels.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
Bro, being deserted on a deserted island back in the fifties is way different than nowadays.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 May 2026
Instead, the city of Garden Grove is partially deserted with the looming threat of a toxic cloud.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 24 May 2026
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
The expedition’s two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, were carrying 129 crew members when the vessels became trapped in Arctic ice for nearly two years before crews deserted them in April 1848.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
Idle oil wells cleanup Senate Bill 47 raises the cap on how much money from the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund can be spent to plug and cleanup deserted oil wells, according to the California State Senate website.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
april 22, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Special meals can be provided on a sandbank or a deserted beach.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
Rue Roger-Salengro was quiet, almost deserted, lined by warehouse walls and the blind backs of houses whose façades looked onto the parallel street, Rue de la République.
—Annie Ernaux, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
One ship sank, one deserted, and the others spent weeks getting beaten up by the sea near Baffin Island before finally making it ashore to establish a mining camp, the ruins of which are still visible.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
Bro, being deserted on a deserted island back in the fifties is way different than nowadays.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 May 2026
While some people are focused on curating a list of hypothetical music to bring to a deserted island someday, Hayden Arnot has been busy bringing live music back to the popular island of Nantucket right now.
—Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 27 May 2026
Bradley and Linda survive the crash and wash up on what appears to be a deserted island.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026
Cast Away tells the story of FedEx troubleshooter Chuck Noland (Hanks) who becomes stranded on a deserted island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
Commuters were stranded in various suburbs and the city center remained deserted.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
Verb
Korda managed to keep it together when her swing, which felt so pure in the practice rounds, deserted her in an opening round of 73 that left her seven shots behind.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
In the last decade, young audiences coveted by advertisers have deserted late night TV shows for streaming channels.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
Bro, being deserted on a deserted island back in the fifties is way different than nowadays.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 May 2026
Instead, the city of Garden Grove is partially deserted with the looming threat of a toxic cloud.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 24 May 2026
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
The expedition’s two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, were carrying 129 crew members when the vessels became trapped in Arctic ice for nearly two years before crews deserted them in April 1848.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
Idle oil wells cleanup Senate Bill 47 raises the cap on how much money from the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund can be spent to plug and cleanup deserted oil wells, according to the California State Senate website.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
april 22, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserted
Adjective
-
Born on May 13, 1958, in California, Sheets appeared on 163 episodes of Storage Wars between 2010 and 2023, vying with other buyers of abandoned and unopened storage lockers being auctioned.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The ceasefire hinged on an end to Hezbollah attacks, but the group was not party to the talks and its leader rejected the pact.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
That ad, like the others, was rejected by WMATA, according to the lawsuit.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Mike Braun opened the Speedway Slammer at an Indiana prison, Jim Pillen opened the Cornhusker Clink at a Nebraska work camp, and Jeff Landry opened the Louisiana Lockup in a disused wing of Angola penitentiary.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
-
For months, the fighters had been quietly clearing a disused water tunnel just over 2 miles long, deep behind enemy lines in the countryside around Aleppo.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The Marlins stranded 13 runners on the day.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
-
All told, that meant the women were stranded in Paris through the summer to November.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Since the Bankhead and Livermore Cinema opened, a number of popular restaurants – including Zachary’s Pizza, Sauced BBQ and Spirits and Locanda Wine Bar have transformed a once-desolate block into a buzzing culinary destination.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
The Cherry Creek Schools’ Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to appoint parent Keith Frazier to a vacant seat on the five-member board.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
-
Overstated savings, still-vacant buildings In 2013, The School District of Philadelphia projected $28 million in cost savings from its closure plan.—
Julia McWilliams,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Once the colony grew, the birds roosted in a derelict military barracks nearby, later returning to the pine forest when the facility was renovated.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
El Dorado County voters will have a new supervisor in the 4th District, as voters cast their ballots Tuesday on the vacated seat this primary election.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
-
The Idaho Senate majority leader will face a challenger, and two hopefuls will vie for a vacated House seat in legislative District 22 in the upcoming GOP primary.—
Rose Evans
May 8,
Idaho Statesman,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserted. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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