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
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
In his seventh feature collaboration with Scorsese, DiCaprio will join forces with Jennifer Lawrence, with the two playing a couple stranded in a deserted, snowy European town.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
In Send Help, now in theaters, Linda (Rachel 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, 8 Mar. 2026
The film is an adaptation of the ghost novel of the same name, which follows a married couple who travel to Europe to adopt a baby and stay in a deserted hotel filled with eccentric characters.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
An overnight stakeout on a deserted winter beach, a mystery creature ripping line for close to an hour, an angler refusing to quit, and then the moment a drone rises over the water and delivers the answer.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
From Gurnee to North Chicago, there are a lot of positives in this nascent new year, including the positive reuse of deserted properties.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The bears invaded our deserted camp again before dark.
—Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 2026
At noon, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lifted a ban on all nonessential travel that had left the city's normally busy streets virtually deserted during the worst of the snowfall.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The play area was deserted except for two brothers.
—Jenisha Watts, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Upon recognizing that the American policies toward Filipinos were very similar to the racially violent policies targeting African Americans, a lot of these Black soldiers deserted the American ranks and joined up with the Filipino fighters during the Philippine-American War.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Tehran’s streets are deserted Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Within minutes, the square was deserted.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
In Tehran on Sunday, the streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution.
—Brian Melley, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
The streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press.
—Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Alberto Rodríguez, 73, limped with a cane down a deserted industrial street.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
In his seventh feature collaboration with Scorsese, DiCaprio will join forces with Jennifer Lawrence, with the two playing a couple stranded in a deserted, snowy European town.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
In Send Help, now in theaters, Linda (Rachel 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, 8 Mar. 2026
The film is an adaptation of the ghost novel of the same name, which follows a married couple who travel to Europe to adopt a baby and stay in a deserted hotel filled with eccentric characters.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
An overnight stakeout on a deserted winter beach, a mystery creature ripping line for close to an hour, an angler refusing to quit, and then the moment a drone rises over the water and delivers the answer.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
From Gurnee to North Chicago, there are a lot of positives in this nascent new year, including the positive reuse of deserted properties.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The bears invaded our deserted camp again before dark.
—Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 2026
At noon, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lifted a ban on all nonessential travel that had left the city's normally busy streets virtually deserted during the worst of the snowfall.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
In the harsh afternoon sun, it was deserted except for dogs dozing on the rocks, and lovers seeking a shred of privacy.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The play area was deserted except for two brothers.
—Jenisha Watts, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Upon recognizing that the American policies toward Filipinos were very similar to the racially violent policies targeting African Americans, a lot of these Black soldiers deserted the American ranks and joined up with the Filipino fighters during the Philippine-American War.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Tehran’s streets are deserted Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Within minutes, the square was deserted.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
In Tehran on Sunday, the streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution.
—Brian Melley, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
The streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press.
—Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserted
Adjective
-
The city has been overwhelmed in recent years by an influx of abandoned and stray dogs and puppies.—
Alyce McFadden,
San Francisco Chronicle,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Antonia Noori Farzan The Providence Police Department is urging drivers to stay off the road, saying that stuck and abandoned cars are causing problems and preventing the city from getting back to normal.—
Eryn Dion,
The Providence Journal,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Tobolowsky previously rejected motions from other Gateway elders, ruling that the suit was not a religious issue and could be handled in secular court.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
-
My first preference was always the path of diplomacy, yet the regime continued their relentless quest for nuclear weapons and rejected every attempt at an agreement.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Under former Mayor Eric Kellogg, the city lost millions on a scheme to rehabilitate a disused hotel.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
According to Storyful, which received a clip of the rescue from the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, a Goldendoodle somehow ended up stranded in the middle of the river and was unable to swim to safety.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Global leaders have been scrambling to contain the rising cost of oil and gasoline since the start of the Iran war, which took a record amount of oil off the market when tankers full of crude were stranded in the Persian Gulf and military strikes damaged refineries, pipelines and export terminals.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Markets usually jammed with customers were desolate Friday, with some vendors loudly promoting their products in a desperate attempt to attract customers.—
Félix Márquez,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Markets usually jammed with customers were desolate on Friday, with some vendors loudly promoting their products in a desperate attempt to attract customers.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Within in an hour of the first departure in Lantana, the helicopter nosedived through the roof of a vacant warehouse near the 3800 block of South Congress Avenue just west of Interstate 95.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
And while the vacant Boise store remains listed for lease at 8249 Franklin Road, the interior of the soon-to-open Meridian shop has gotten a vibrant makeover.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When Ken Fulk and Kurt Wootton purchased what would become Durham Ranch—named after one of their dogs—the California wine country property was in disrepair, with a derelict 1940s ranch house and a handful of rickety outbuildings.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
17 Mar. 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
-
New York defended its vacated cage effectively for the entire time, but scored just once off a brilliant setup by Matthew Schaefer for Heineman’s deflection.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
And moving chains can take months or even years to bring vacated units onto the market, especially when sales are involved.—
Henry Grabar,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserted. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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