abandoned
Americanadjective
-
forsaken or deserted.
an abandoned building; an abandoned kitten.
-
unrestrained or uncontrolled; uninhibited.
She danced with abandoned enthusiasm.
-
utterly lacking in moral restraints; shameless; wicked.
an abandoned and dissolute ruler.
adjective
-
deserted
an abandoned windmill
-
forsaken
an abandoned child
-
unrestrained; uninhibited
wild, abandoned dancing
-
depraved; profligate
Synonym Usage
See immoral.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abandoned
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; abandon + -ed 2
Explanation
There's nothing spookier than an abandoned house that's still full of dusty, decaying furniture. When something is abandoned, it's been cast off or deserted. The adjective abandoned describes something that's been given up or discarded. You can use it to talk about a kitten abandoned at an animal shelter, an old car abandoned by the side of the road, or a person's dreams of becoming an opera singer abandoned when they had kids. It comes from the French phrase mettre a bandon, "put someone under another's control."
Vocabulary lists containing abandoned
Beowulf vocabulary
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Flush
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The Secret Life of Bees
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An Asian betting syndicate had pulled the plug, using a remote control circuit breaker, to get each match abandoned at a scoreline which would maximise their profits.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The U.S. attorney’s office previously abandoned the case after finding the pool’s damage was caused by a botched installation rather than vandalism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
First they moved in with McCarthy’s parents—an untenable situation—until he found an abandoned farmhouse on Route 7 in Sevier County, near Walden’s Creek, about half an hour east of Knoxville.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The pair were evacuated from their home the following morning, after the vans were found abandoned at the end of their driveway.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
She yanked me backward again, but this time it was to one of the abandoned computers.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
