abandoned

adjective

aban·​doned ə-ˈban-dənd 

1

a

: left without needed protection, care, or support

an abandoned baby

… she … began to live in what she referred to as the straitened circumstances of an abandoned woman.

—Richard Russo

b

: left by the owner

an abandoned car

: left to fall into a state of disuse

an abandoned field

abandoned property

an abandoned factory

c

: no longer held or thought of : given up

abandoned hopes/dreams

2

: wholly free from restraint

The lower the beer dropped in the kegs, the more abandoned and frenzied the dancers became.

—Don Asher

… unless you can convince them that you are as abandoned a profligate as themselves.

—George Bernard Shaw

Synonyms

• derelict
• deserted
• desolate
• disused
• forgotten
• forsaken
• rejected
• vacant
• vacated
• void

Examples of abandoned in a Sentence

He led a reckless and abandoned life and died young.

she consciously avoided walking past the abandoned house, with its broken windows and sagging porch

Recent Examples on the Web

The 33 towns being considered for this project, which are expected to meet final approval in the coming weeks, are all on the brink of extinction with the number of empty and abandoned houses outnumbering those that are inhabited. —Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025

The team had a group task to accomplish, yes, but at every checkpoint, people had to make the decision to be selfish or selfless, and the selfish ones got rewarded while the selfless were left abandoned and miserable on the loch. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025

But the findings won’t be able to say how abandoned land should be managed, or whether people should try to manage it at all. —Bydan Charles, science.org, 2 Jan. 2025

A day later his car was found abandoned but undamaged in a parking lot near Congaree National Park about 20 miles southeast of Columbia. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from past participle of abandounen "to abandon entry 1"

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Phrases Containing abandoned

• self-abandoned

Kids Definition

abandoned

adjective

aban·​doned ə-ˈban-dənd 

1

: that has been deserted : left empty or unused

an abandoned house

2

: completely free from restraint

abandoned laughter