orphaned

adjective

1
as in widowed

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2
as in adopted

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of orphaned Ayla Garcia traveled to Kenya on July 1 with her church and family to support Zion Family, a home for orphaned kids, per WWBT, WTVR and a GoFundMe set up to help cover her medical and funeral costs. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 26 July 2026 The Vampire Diaries centers on orphaned teenager Elena Gilbert, who ends up falling in love with a handsome new student named Stefan Salvatore (Wesley). — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026 The dead man apparently left someone behind to tend to his orphaned pet. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026 The four orphaned bobcat kittens will be monitored and cared for in special remote enclosures among the trees over the next few months. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 12 July 2026 The orphaned service account exists because a human left without proper offboarding. — Beth Miller, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 The elderly man next to Rembrandt and the androgynous figure with the fur hat beneath, says the house, may be Rembrandt’s godparents, while the young woman wearing embroidered headgear holding an infant is most likely a member of Rembrandt’s family or household, possibly his orphaned god-sister. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 26 June 2026 That’s the state Supergirl is in when she is dragged into a local dispute on some far-off planet, defending the honor of an orphaned teenage girl, Ruthye (Eve Ridley); her parents were murdered by a brigand named Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts). — David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026 Its first strand, set in 1995, follows a rural doctor in Nagqu who takes in an orphaned Tibetan baby girl. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orphaned
  1. widowed
  2. adopted
  3. bereaved
  4. motherless
Adjective
  • The show, which follows a widowed father of three who learns to find love again while balancing parenting, was quietly canceled by Prime Video earlier this week, according to Deadline.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026
  • Paromita, a widowed teacher, conceals her loneliness behind the cover of duty and routine, while Shefali, a working wife, hides her bruises beneath concealer and silence.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 June 2026
Definition of widowed
Adjective
  • The adopted operating budget for 2026 was $883 million, a number that could inch closer to $1 billion in 2027.
    — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 16 June 2026
  • For now, the fish are functioning fine in their adopted creek.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Definition of adopted
Adjective
  • Sue Ryder’s Grief in the Workplace research found that bereaved employees operate at roughly 70 percent of their usual capacity in the first six months after a loss, and that a full year often passes before performance returns to baseline .
    — Mena Mirhom, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Each post has been circulated repeatedly with desperate pleas from bereaved owners and basic information about their beloved animals.
    — Anabella Gonzalez, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
Definition of bereaved
Adjective
  • The story is narrated by Eshe, a motherless pregnant teenager whose love for her brother Skeetah is at the heart of the novel, along with Skeetah’s love for his prize pitbull, China.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
  • Expect rich character development in both Vernice and Annie—two motherless best friends being raised in the Jim Crow South—and absorbing prose in this sweeping saga.
    — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 5 June 2026
Definition of motherless

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orphaned
orphic
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Cite this Entry

“Orphaned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orphaned. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on orphaned

Nglish: Translation of orphaned for Spanish Speakers

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