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
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2026
Officials said up to 85% of Ksar El Kebir was evacuated, leaving the town, known for its sugar production, nearly deserted.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Displaced families often spend weeks, sometimes months, in makeshift dwellings, including public squares and deserted government buildings, while children lose months or even years of education as schools close or become inaccessible owing to gang activity.
—Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
When their plane crashes, Linda and Bradley find themselves together on a deserted island.
—Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The airport was nearly deserted Saturday morning, with only a few TSA agents and a couple of travelers remaining inside the departures side.
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
Front doors began to open onto building entryways, revealing deserted courtyards inside.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
The film, directed by Sam Raimi, follows a woman (McAdams) and her sexist boss (O’Brien), who become stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash — where things quickly get dark (and bloody).
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 22 Jan. 2026
But then Gu quarantined for a few weeks after the Games in the nearly deserted Olympic village.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
In the end, in 1992, more than two-thirds of white people, motivated by fear and economic uncertainty, deserted the apartheid regime.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Streets of the town were deserted Friday, many homes had their curtains drawn and shops were closed.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
Cillian Murphy starred in the inaugural film of the series, 28 Days Later (2002), as Jim, who wakes up from a coma to find a once-bustling London deserted amidst a Rage Virus outbreak that began four weeks earlier.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
His case was linked to proceedings against the civil association FundaRedes, though relatives and human-rights groups believe the real target was his brother, who had deserted the armed forces two years earlier.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The streets below were strangely empty for a weekday morning, and Madison Square Park, visible through the scaffolding, was deserted save for a few people and their pets braving the day’s frigid winds at the dog park.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 5 Jan. 2026
With such a prosperous and advanced village before them, well before its time, archaeologists wondered why the site had been deserted.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
Yes, moviegoers have pretty much deserted the cineplex to stay home with streaming.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
Adjective
In Send Help, Linda (McAdams) and her overbearing boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) survive a plane crash and become stranded on a deserted island, where their past office grievances become a violent fight for survival.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2026
Officials said up to 85% of Ksar El Kebir was evacuated, leaving the town, known for its sugar production, nearly deserted.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Displaced families often spend weeks, sometimes months, in makeshift dwellings, including public squares and deserted government buildings, while children lose months or even years of education as schools close or become inaccessible owing to gang activity.
—Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
When their plane crashes, Linda and Bradley find themselves together on a deserted island.
—Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The airport was nearly deserted Saturday morning, with only a few TSA agents and a couple of travelers remaining inside the departures side.
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
Front doors began to open onto building entryways, revealing deserted courtyards inside.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
The film, directed by Sam Raimi, follows a woman (McAdams) and her sexist boss (O’Brien), who become stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash — where things quickly get dark (and bloody).
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 22 Jan. 2026
But then Gu quarantined for a few weeks after the Games in the nearly deserted Olympic village.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
Fedorov, the new defense minister, acknowledges the scale of the problem, telling the Ukrainian parliament some 2 million people are ignoring their call-up papers, while 200,000 others have deserted.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
In the end, in 1992, more than two-thirds of white people, motivated by fear and economic uncertainty, deserted the apartheid regime.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Streets of the town were deserted Friday, many homes had their curtains drawn and shops were closed.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
Cillian Murphy starred in the inaugural film of the series, 28 Days Later (2002), as Jim, who wakes up from a coma to find a once-bustling London deserted amidst a Rage Virus outbreak that began four weeks earlier.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
His case was linked to proceedings against the civil association FundaRedes, though relatives and human-rights groups believe the real target was his brother, who had deserted the armed forces two years earlier.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The streets below were strangely empty for a weekday morning, and Madison Square Park, visible through the scaffolding, was deserted save for a few people and their pets braving the day’s frigid winds at the dog park.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 5 Jan. 2026
With such a prosperous and advanced village before them, well before its time, archaeologists wondered why the site had been deserted.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
Yes, moviegoers have pretty much deserted the cineplex to stay home with streaming.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserted
Adjective
-
The abandoned Westminster Mall has turned into a hotspot for vandalism since shuttering in late 2025, according to police who are attempting to raise awareness about the issue.—
Lesley Marin,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Rogers is shopworker Polly Parrish, who gets mistakenly identified as the parent of an abandoned baby.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
More than 300 district judges in Minnesota and elsewhere have so far rejected the government’s mandatory detention policies, ordering detainees released or granted bond hearings.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
-
That happened recently in Kansas City – where voters rejected a new stadium – and Philadelphia, where the team reversed its decision to build the arena near the city’s Chinatown.—
Gidon Jakar,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Understanding that Mandela’s liberation meant that white-minority rule was coming to an end, the founders trekked into the desert, bought a disused mining town wholesale, and established a colony.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The Barnham site lies in a disused clay pit in Suffolk, UK, preserving traces of the period around 427,000 to 415,000 years ago.—
Jay Kakade
December 30,
New Atlas,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
For the second time in days, a driver ignored barricades in Pisgah National Forest and got stranded in the snow, according to officials in western North Carolina.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Keep your fuel tank at least half-full to prevent fuel lines from freezing, and for extra fuel if you get stranded.—
Cailey Gleeson,
jsonline.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Tennyson spent the rest of his life returning to that desolate seascape, literally but also literarily.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The word that came to mind was desolate.—
Ken Harbaugh,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
City officials hope to reverse that trend by revitalizing the downtown area, from attracting businesses to vacant storefronts to developing unused city sites, such as the corner lot burdened with the remains of Hotel Marysville, which was destroyed by fire in 2024.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As the luxury building sat vacant, taggers armed with spray paint flocked there, hoping to leave a colorful mark on the city skyline.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Tighter oil coordination On January 9, Trump invited several oil executives to pitch proposals for investments in the derelict Venezuelan oil industry.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
19 Jan. 2026
-
This stretch of the park, an object of fascination for Urbano, contains an array of a hundred or so different models of public gaslights, now obsolete and semi-derelict.—
Javier Montes,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
After moving on from Chris Boucher on Thursday, the Celtics promoted from within to fill his vacated roster spot.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The scene is then set for a new revolutionary leader or leaders to seize the vacated government offices and urban centers and/or set up a new political asset (insurrection).—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserted. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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