as in discipline
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
the robbers got their just deserts
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Adam Lark, The Conversation, 16 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
On a blind date, his descriptions of magical griffins and burning deserts sound humiliatingly immature.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
In between, travelers cross remote deserts and see sights like the sacred Muṯitjulu Waterhole while learning about the landscape’s geographical wonders and hearing the ancestral stories of the Aṉangu.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2026
The kingdom last month raised production rebates to as much as 60% — among the most generous in the world — to attract filmmakers to its coastlines, deserts, mountains, and rapidly transforming cities.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Whilst some of the winners photographed high alpine peaks and arid deserts, others focused on scenes of daily life.
—Sam Peters, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Highs at the coast next Wednesday are expected to be in the lower 70s and as high as 108 in the lower deserts, the weather service said.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
That has turned many communities, especially those in rural areas, into news deserts.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 May 2026
For the San Diego County deserts west winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts 45 to 55 mph, locally up to 60 near the mountain foothills.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
There are 15 overall child care deserts out of 74 ZIP codes in Tarrant, and 40% of those deserts are considered to be chronic.
—Lina Ruiz
april 16, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2026
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Isabel Greenberg, the upcoming adaptation follows a young bride named Cherry (scream queen Maika Monroe), whose husband (Amir El-Masry) deserts her in the care of the sexy Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) and her maid, Hero (Emma Corrin).
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
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
Noun
Typically, people recover meteorites in geologically unchanging regions, such as deserts or ice fields, where the meteorites stand out against the landscape.
—Adam Lark, The Conversation, 16 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
On a blind date, his descriptions of magical griffins and burning deserts sound humiliatingly immature.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
In between, travelers cross remote deserts and see sights like the sacred Muṯitjulu Waterhole while learning about the landscape’s geographical wonders and hearing the ancestral stories of the Aṉangu.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2026
The kingdom last month raised production rebates to as much as 60% — among the most generous in the world — to attract filmmakers to its coastlines, deserts, mountains, and rapidly transforming cities.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Whilst some of the winners photographed high alpine peaks and arid deserts, others focused on scenes of daily life.
—Sam Peters, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Highs at the coast next Wednesday are expected to be in the lower 70s and as high as 108 in the lower deserts, the weather service said.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
That has turned many communities, especially those in rural areas, into news deserts.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
Verb
Set against the backdrop of Burns’ native city of Liverpool, the drama revolves around a 17-year-old soldier who deserts his post during the Iraq war.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 May 2026
For the San Diego County deserts west winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts 45 to 55 mph, locally up to 60 near the mountain foothills.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
There are 15 overall child care deserts out of 74 ZIP codes in Tarrant, and 40% of those deserts are considered to be chronic.
—Lina Ruiz
april 16, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2026
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Isabel Greenberg, the upcoming adaptation follows a young bride named Cherry (scream queen Maika Monroe), whose husband (Amir El-Masry) deserts her in the care of the sexy Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) and her maid, Hero (Emma Corrin).
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
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
-
These individuals are deeply collaborative, mission-driven and eager to innovate at the intersections of disciplines.—
Rachel Nuwer,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
-
Over generations, those discipline practices have evolved into modern parenting practices.—
Nia Dumas,
NPR,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
-
There’s already wide agreement within the denomination that its faith statement rejects the appointment of women as senior pastors who lead churches.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Wednesday’s home defeat against Manchester City leaves the Spaniard with just three wins across his last 10 games, but fans inside the Bernabeu stopped short of the white handkerchief-waving protest that often marks the death throes of a Los Blancos head coach.—
Jack Bantock,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
-
That leaves a lot of room for a variety of outcomes, depending on how the additional 12 Republicans vote.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The company said the design allows high-performance error correction without requiring extensive additional hardware.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
-
State prison leadership has sought to avoid needing to rely on volunteers among corrections officers to pull the triggers in an execution, IDOC Director Bree Derrick previously said.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
If a core team abandons these tools, entire organizations may follow.—
Durga Krishnamoorthy,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
-
This year, a sixth creation joined the collection—the complex Éclat d’Ombre, which abandons the single-ingredient approach for an atmospheric chypre accord (one that captures the essence of the aging cellars themselves).—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
The range of punishment for both offenses is two to 20 years in prison.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 June 2026
-
In many organizations, formal openness coexists with informal punishment.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Israel wants to disarm Hezbollah immediately before the Israeli military ends its operations in Lebanon and withdraws its troops from dozens of villages and towns.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Hezbollah has vowed to fight until the war ends in Lebanon and Israel withdraws its troops who operate across large swaths of the country’s south.—
Nick Duffy,
NBC news,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
The measure would lower the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Another piece of the proposal lowers the cap on annual assessment increases on non-homestead properties.—
Gray Rohrer,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserts. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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