abandoned

adjective

aban·​doned ə-ˈban-dənd How to pronounce abandoned (audio)
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

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 Seen in a video that moves through the abandoned and disarrayed hallways of the pediatric intensive care unit at Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital in northern Gaza were several babies whose unattended bodies lay on separate hospital beds. Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2023 The area to the east of the highway is markedly different, with lower property values and more abandoned and foreclosed homes. Mark Walker, New York Times, 25 May 2023 Are there factors unique to Turkey and Syria that will shape the impact of the earthquake on people’s mental health? Syria may feel very abandoned. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2023 Thompson suspects that the Humane Society’s recent influx of abandoned and stray pets is related to inflation and the rising cost of pet food and health care. Diane Bellcolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2023 Téllez pressed on trying to get his family back to Mexico City, circumventing several more abandoned vehicles blocking roads and eventually making it to the airport. Mark Stevenson, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Jan. 2023 While some investors target completely vacant and abandoned homes, Walsh’s strategy focused on newly vacant or distressed homes in Baltimore. Giacomo Bologna, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2022 Tearing down a decrepit house is a lot cheaper than renovating it, so what is the argument behind Cleveland spending $5 million in stimulus money to renovate abandoned houses? Laura Johnston, cleveland, 8 Nov. 2022 The move marked the end of a tumultuous saga that began when the refuge was established in 1977 by the late animal welfare advocate Martine Colette to house abused, abandoned and sick animals. Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abandoned.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of abandoned was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near abandoned

Cite this Entry

“Abandoned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abandoned. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

abandoned

adjective
aban·​doned ə-ˈban-dənd How to pronounce abandoned (audio)
1
: that has been deserted : left empty or unused
an abandoned house
2
: completely free from restraint
abandoned laughter

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