FORSAKE Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

forsake

verb

fər-ˈsāk

Definition of forsake next

as in to leave

to cause to remain behind forsaking most of our possessions, we evacuated just before the hurricane struck

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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

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of forsake Answering the summons of McCabe and others, thousands of Black people chose to forsake the dominion of Jim Crow for Oklahoma. —

Caleb Gayle, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024 State anti-book-ban law leads some school districts to forsake grants to maintain local control Editorial: Downtown Chicago needs reimagining. —

Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2024 This was not a story about someone who had forsaken her true self to please others. —

Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for forsake