abandoned

[uh-ban-duhnd]

adjective

1. forsaken or deserted.

   an abandoned building; an abandoned kitten.

2. unrestrained or uncontrolled; uninhibited.

   She danced with abandoned enthusiasm.

3. utterly lacking in moral restraints; shameless; wicked.

   an abandoned and dissolute ruler.

abandoned

/ əˈbændənd /

adjective

1. deserted

   an abandoned windmill

2. forsaken

   an abandoned child

3. unrestrained; uninhibited

   wild, abandoned dancing

4. depraved; profligate

Other Word Forms

• abandonedly adverb
• half-abandoned adjective
• unabandoned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abandoned¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; abandon + -ed ²

Synonym Study

See immoral.

Example Sentences

So he abandoned his party’s long-standing advocacy of a carbon tax in favor of turning green energy into just another thing government money printing could support.

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Mr. Macron long ago abandoned a more ambitious proposal to further simplify the overly complex retirement system.

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Many schools across the country have abandoned vaccine mandates, while some states have restricted them altogether.

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“When others abandoned us, you stood by our side.”

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Lining the side of the road were abandoned sandals, plastic water bottles hardened by the sun, and broken toys — remnants of the exodus in months gone by.

Read more on Los Angeles Times