as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
grew up in the kind of godforsaken town in which everyone drank in order to forget that they were there
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Recent Examples of godforsaken
Viewed from a distance through a telephoto lens, his demise in a godforsaken town, at the hands of Somoza’s troops, is random, scruffy, and dumb.
—
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
First, the company claims credit for turning central Florida from a godforsaken wasteland into a thriving economic engine for the entire state.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2023
Deep down part of me hoped that this godforsaken place would burn to the ground — after all the prisoners had escaped, of course.
—Kylie Moore-Gilbert, CNN, 24 Oct. 2022
This game, this godforsaken 20-20 tie, was two bad teams racing to the bottom and getting there at the same time.
—Gregg Doyel, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for godforsaken
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
First, the company claims credit for turning central Florida from a godforsaken wasteland into a thriving economic engine for the entire state.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2023
Deep down part of me hoped that this godforsaken place would burn to the ground — after all the prisoners had escaped, of course.
—Kylie Moore-Gilbert, CNN, 24 Oct. 2022
This game, this godforsaken 20-20 tie, was two bad teams racing to the bottom and getting there at the same time.
—Gregg Doyel, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for godforsaken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for godforsaken
Adjective
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The job market is showing intermittent signs of recovery after a bleak 2025.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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The outlook appeared so bleak that Alexey Miranchuk gestured to the heavens and said, if the team could acquire help from a higher power and get a road win, maybe the ship could be steered in the right direction.—
Amna Subhan,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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On desolate rural strips or town squares, Mary is always the same.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
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Considered ancient leftovers from the formation of our solar system, these desolate bodies don't meet the criteria to be considered planets.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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Soon afterward, with minimal warning, my mother moved to a small white farmhouse on a lonely hillside in rural New Hampshire.—
Nicholas Dawidoff,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
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But being an anti-Trump Republican has become a lonelier job in recent years as the party establishment’s support solidified behind Trump during the historically successful campaign in 2024 that returned him to the White House.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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The rooms In darker hues with lots of hardwood and colorful fabrics, the rooms here don’t fall into your standard contemporary look.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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Forty-four of the 89 counties along Route 66 were sundown towns, communities where it was encouraged for Black people to leave before dark — or else.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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Because what could be more depressing than just passively watching the world burn and melt and crumble?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
This level of security is a depressing necessity in modern-day Britain.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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During my second pregnancy and for more than a year after giving birth to my second child, depressive periods ebbed and flowed, growing deeper and longer each time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 May 2026
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McLarty and Walker shift from depressive introspection to giggling reminiscences.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
This is a somber, aching sequence for Bernthal, which Storer shoots from down at his and Ireland’s level, in a long take that is now customary for this show.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 May 2026
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When Francophiles aligned with Jefferson wore tricolor cockades, Washington’s men responded with sombre black ones.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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On May 1, Maryland observed Fallen Heroes Day, a solemn reminder of the extraordinary sacrifice made by the men and women who answer the call to serve others.—
Nick Stewart,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
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Protesters carried myriad homemade signs, some tongue-in-cheek, some more solemn.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Godforsaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/godforsaken. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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