Synonyms of forsake

forsake

verb

fər-ˈsāk 

as in to leave

to cause to remain behind

forsaking most of our possessions, we evacuated just before the hurricane struck

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leave
• abandon
• desert
• strand
• dump
• quit
• discard
• relinquish
• ditch
• walk away from
• renounce
• shed
• walk out on
• maroon
• escape
• fling
• sacrifice
• vacate
• ignore
• jettison
• reject
• scrap
• forget
• throw away
• withdraw (from)
• surrender
• separate (from)
• cut off
• repudiate
• throw out
• retreat (from)
• disown
• yield
• abjure
• give up
• take off (from)
• deliver
• disregard
• neglect
• hand over
• junk
• shuck (off)
• distance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• have
• possess
• keep
• retain
• hold
• own
• withhold
• reclaim
• reserve
• save
• redeem
• harbor
• rescue

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of forsake

Her misbegotten experiment was the culmination of a cycle of extreme policies set off by Britain’s decision to forsake the world’s largest trading bloc. —Mark Landler, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Which isn’t to say the club has forsaken the style that made its international reputation. —Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2025

Malone grew increasingly frustrated with roster construction after the Nuggets forsook their right to match contract offers for Caldwell-Pope, sources said. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Apr. 2025

Don’t forsake the things that bring you joy during this time. —Nicole Lipkin, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025