Synonym Chooser

How does the verb forsake contrast with its synonyms?

The words abandon and desert are common synonyms of forsake. While all three words mean "to leave without intending to return," forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers.

a forsaken lover

When would abandon be a good substitute for forsake?

While the synonyms abandon and forsake are close in meaning, abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection.

abandoned children

When might desert be a better fit than forsake?

The synonyms desert and forsake are sometimes interchangeable, but desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence.

a deserted town

Examples 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 forsake On the global stage, Brazil can once again play a key role in the effort to curb climate change, a project largely forsaken by Bolsonaro. Hussein Kalout, Foreign Affairs, 15 Mar. 2023 And kudos to Tyler for never forsaking his outsider status for the sake of mainstream exposure, or capitulating to any hip-hop trends over the past decade. Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2024 Therein lies the other critical element of the equation: a lack of pretense and fuss which does not forsake sophistication. Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024 But is that what drives grown-ups to forsake other activities and pour their efforts into cross-pollinating, feeding and nurturing great pumpkins of sizes Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang could never imagine? Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for forsake 

Thesaurus Entries Near forsake

Cite this Entry

“Forsake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forsake. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on forsake

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