abandonment
an act or instance of leaving a person or thing permanently and completely:He struggles to deal with his abandonment by his wife, and now having to care for their infant alone.
an act or instance of permanently setting aside a principle, discontinuing an activity, etc.:I believe in the struggle for radical social change, but it must be accompanied by an abandonment of the notion that the end justifies the means.
an act or instance of giving up control of something, or of yielding to one’s impulses or to an external or spiritual force:No psychiatric diagnosis quite captures Hitler’s boundless will to lead, his self-deception, and his utter abandonment to evil.
Origin of abandonment
1Other words from abandonment
- non·a·ban·don·ment, noun
Words Nearby abandonment
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use abandonment in a sentence
“We hope that the government does not abandon its investigation of disturbing and egregious allegations of sexual misconduct at the El Paso detention center,” Natarajan said.
ICE Deported a Woman Who Accused Guards of Sexual Assault While the Feds Were Still Investigating the Incident | by Lomi Kriel | September 15, 2020 | ProPublicaSince 2017, five Alaska officials have resigned or abandoned their reelection campaigns following harassment or sexual misconduct allegations.
The Woman Propositioned by Alaska’s Former Lieutenant Governor Tells Her Story for the First Time | by Kyle Hopkins and Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News | September 10, 2020 | ProPublicaIn 1985, they abandoned their classic recipe in favor of “New Coke,” which tasted more like Pepsi.
America’s Hidden Duopoly (Ep. 356 Rebroadcast) | Stephen J. Dubner | September 3, 2020 | FreakonomicsMerkel’s crisis management has been accompanied by her government’s historic decision to abandon its balanced-budget policy, suspending constitutional debt limits as part of a massive stimulus push.
‘Things will become more difficult:’ Merkel tries to sell debt-averse Germany on her ambitious COVID spending plan | Bernhard Warner | August 28, 2020 | FortuneIt includes a mix of abandoned buildings and gentrified buildings, and has amazing restaurants and outdoor venues, and historical sites to enjoy.
Every adopted person has to deal with the fact of abandonment, and what that has done to them.
Frances McDormand on 'Olive Kitteridge,' Dropping LSD, and Her Beef With FX's 'Fargo' | Marlow Stern | September 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe sense of insecurity is heightened by the uncertainty and a feeling of abandonment.
Jews in East Ukraine Are Being Threatened, But By Whom? | Anna Nemtsova | April 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHarry and Peter are bound by the loss of their fathers and their abandonment issues.
Marc Webb Takes Us Inside ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ and Discusses His Rise to the A-List | Marlow Stern | March 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFrom The Novel Cure: From abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin.
How to Cure Your Anxiety? Read Henry James’s ‘The Portrait of a Lady,’ Of Course. | Ella Berthoud, Susan Elderkind | September 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTOf course arch-conservatives think social breakdown is caused by the abandonment of traditional gender roles.
But her parents, did you never discover any thing about them—who or what they were—the motive of so strange an abandonment?
In this supreme moment of Felipe's abandonment of all disguises, she saw his whole past life in a new light.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonCorrect views of a vow, as altogether wrong, should lead to its abandonment, or a total reconstruction of it.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John CunninghamThe flash of knives—I saw two men stuck—made as little impression upon him as the awful abandonment of—well, of the females.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonAnd now that evil spirit of abandonment came to Rita—communicated to her, possibly, by her companion.
Dope | Sax Rohmer
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