as in discipline
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
the robbers got their just deserts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rejects
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 leaves
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 deserts
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
Nearly 60% of this county’s residents live in childcare deserts, where available slots are insufficientto meet local demand, the news release stated.
—Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025
Today, thousands cross seas and deserts daily, escaping war, hunger, and horror.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
That has contributed to low wages, which have led to worker shortages (now exacerbated by immigration reductions), which in turn have resulted in care deserts, further putting upward pressure on prices — and, in turn, negative labor market outcomes.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
The species evolved in the deserts of northern Africa and easily adapted to the harsh Sonoran desert climate.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 23 Oct. 2025
The birds have survived in hordes in the deserts, but civilization nearly always spells their doom.
—Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 Oct. 2025
What fantastic fantasies will lure risk-seeking treasure hunters to breach the massive walls of iron thorns surrounding mysterious radioactive caverns buried deep in the deserts?
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
The Highlands The Highlands are an untamed region full of volcanoes, black deserts, and crater lakes.
—Gwen Nicol, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2025
Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
For this collection, Blanga and Capitani revisited some of the signature styles that have marked Eéra’s success through the years in warm hues and sandy tones, nodding to the striking rock formations, sweeping deserts and lush oasis of the area.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
Nearly 60% of this county’s residents live in childcare deserts, where available slots are insufficientto meet local demand, the news release stated.
—Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025
Today, thousands cross seas and deserts daily, escaping war, hunger, and horror.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
That has contributed to low wages, which have led to worker shortages (now exacerbated by immigration reductions), which in turn have resulted in care deserts, further putting upward pressure on prices — and, in turn, negative labor market outcomes.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
The species evolved in the deserts of northern Africa and easily adapted to the harsh Sonoran desert climate.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 23 Oct. 2025
The birds have survived in hordes in the deserts, but civilization nearly always spells their doom.
—Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 Oct. 2025
What fantastic fantasies will lure risk-seeking treasure hunters to breach the massive walls of iron thorns surrounding mysterious radioactive caverns buried deep in the deserts?
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
The Highlands The Highlands are an untamed region full of volcanoes, black deserts, and crater lakes.
—Gwen Nicol, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
In California, the warning is in effect for southeastern counties, with temperatures forecast to reach 111 F in Indian Wells Valley; and 115 F in Coachella Valley and San Diego County deserts.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserts
Noun
-
Our City Council and mayor need a class in Economics 101 and fiscal discipline to make hard decisions at City Hall.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Chaikesh learned to conceptualize and think of AI not as a black box (as in, an obtuse system where users can’t follow its internal logic) but as a discipline grounded in clarity and fundamentals.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Cooper made a film that rejects the conventions of its genre, that is unafraid to be slow and patient in the telling of its narrative, and that wasn’t made to appeal to everyone immediately upon release.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
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The October court order rejects the Department of Education’s motion to dismiss the case and blocks the administration from implementing the discontinuation against nearly 50 grantees across the country while the lawsuit continues.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The defeat, Nuno Espirito Santo’s first win as West Ham coach, leaves Newcastle 13th, five points ahead of West Ham in 18th and 13 points behind league leaders Arsenal.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Parsley leaves also turn bitter after bolting.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Some CEOs are warning of a market correction, others of an inevitable mismatch between revenues and the massive capital expenditure needed to power AI.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Underly has disputed some of the reporting and has asked the publication for a public correction.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Some critics suggested the rate hikes could be smaller if the city abandons or shrinks its ongoing project to develop the Pure Water sewage recycling system.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Zero-trust architecture, a strategy that abandons implicit trust and requires continuous verification, will help redefine security by assuming all users and devices are potential threats.—
Jason Phillips,
jsonline.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Hence, taking them away is an appropriate punishment.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
-
But if the thought of freezing cold isolation and bunk pods sounds more like punishment than adventure, Mongolia’s Gobi already offers glimpses of the otherworldly in a far more comfortable setting.—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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About 93% of the mothers included in the assessment had not received any doses of Covid-19 vaccine.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
-
That’s the assessment of a YouTube executive involved in the negotiations, who agreed to share perspective from inside the tech giant with Deadline on the condition that their name and job title would not be attached.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Musk withdraws the California suit in June, then files a federal suit in August.—
Nikita Ostrovsky,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
-
If a parent later withdraws permission, the app developer must be notified to disable access.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserts. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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