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

All were things Anula would never give to beings who’d long since forsaken their people. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025

But our research also shows that economic incentives or sanctions that aim to compel Palestinians (or Israelis) to forsake their core values backfire for the population as a whole, increasing resistance to peace deals and support for violence. —Scott Atran, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2025

The problem, not to put too fine a point on it, is that The Brutalist forsakes tonal subtlety for a full plunge into Southern or Mid-Atlantic Gothic, with the Van Burens becoming almost literally vampiric. —Anthony Paletta, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Feb. 2025

By pardoning their attackers, Trump and his Republican enablers have forsaken the mantle of law and order. —Jonathan Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025