deserted
Americanadjective
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abandoned; forsaken.
the problems of deserted wives and children.
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untenanted: without inhabitants.
a deserted village; a deserted farmhouse.
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unfrequented; lonely.
The victim was lured to a deserted spot.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deserted
Explanation
If something’s deserted it’s empty and abandoned. It's fun to spend an afternoon taking pictures of a deserted house with its overgrown yard and mysterious relics, but come nightfall it might feel a little spooky. The adjective deserted often describes an empty building that’s been abandoned by its owners, but you can use it for anything that’s remote or without any people around. You might get the chills when you walk down a deserted street at night. Deserted can also describe something that’s much less crowded than normal. On Super Bowl Sunday, the shopping mall might be deserted — everyone is home, watching the game.
Vocabulary lists containing deserted
Nobody's Home: Synonyms For "Absent"
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Persepolis
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There's No There There: Synonyms for "Empty"
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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.
Deserted sidewalks, boarded windows and crumbling buildings hug the downtown streets, save for a scant number of new businesses like Bennett's.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2024
Deserted by his party allies and a key coalition partner, his opposition pushed Khan out with 174 votes — two more than the required simple majority in the 342-seat National Assembly.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2022
Deserted lobbies and empty escalators add to the overwhelming zombie-mall weirdness of it all.
From New York Times • May 28, 2021
In choosing a title for his final, posthumously published book, the prominent public intellectual Tony Judt turned to a poem by Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village, published in 1770.
From Salon • Dec. 28, 2020
In seventh class he hands out a small book, a poem that goes on for pages and pages, The Deserted Village, by Oliver Goldsmith.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
