Synonyms for abandon
əˈbæn dənaban·don

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.8 / 16 votes

1. abandon

   Abandon is a word of wide signification, applying to persons or things of any kind; abdicate and resign apply to office, authority, or power; cede to territorial possessions; surrender especially to military force, and more generally to any demand, claim, passion, etc. Quit carries an idea of suddenness or abruptness not necessarily implied in abandon, and may not have the same suggestion of finality. The king abdicates his throne, cedes his territory, deserts his followers, renounces his religion, relinquishes his titles, abandons his designs. A cowardly officer deserts his ship; the helpless passengers abandon it. We quit business, give up property, resign office, abandon a habit or a trust. Relinquish commonly implies reluctance; the fainting hand relinquishes its grasp; the creditor relinquishes his claim. Abandon implies previous association with responsibility for or control of; forsake implies previous association with inclination or attachment, real or assumed; a man may abandon or forsake house or friends; he abandons an enterprise; forsakes God. Abandon is applied to both good and evil action; a thief abandons his designs, a man his principles. Forsake, like abandon, may be used either in the favorable or unfavorable sense; desert is always unfavorable, involving a breach of duty, except when used of mere localities; as, "the Deserted Village." While a monarch abdicates, a president or other elected or appointed officer resigns. It was held that James II. abdicated his throne by deserting it.

   Synonyms:
   abdicate, abjure, cast off, cease, cede, depart from, desert, discontinue, forego, forsake, forswear, give up, leave, quit, recant, relinquish, renounce, repudiate, resign, retire from, retract, surrender, vacate, withdraw from

   Antonyms:
   adopt, advocate, assert, cherish, claim, court, defend, favor, haunt, hold, keep, maintain, occupy, prosecute, protect, pursue, retain, seek, support, undertake, uphold, vindicate

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.7 / 12 votes

1. abandon

   Synonyms:
   leave, forsake, desert, renounce, cease, relinquish, discontinue, castoff, resign, retire, quit, forego, forswear, depart from, vacate, surrender, abjure, repudiate

   Antonyms:
   pursue, prosecute, undertake, seek, court, cherish, favor, protect, claim, maintain, defend, advocate, retain, support, uphold, occupy, haunt, hold, assert, vindicate, keep

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.8 / 6 votes

1. abandon, wantonness, unconstraintnoun

   the trait of lacking restraint or control; reckless freedom from inhibition or worry

   "she danced with abandon"

   Synonyms:
   wantonness, wildness, licentiousness, unconstraint

2. wildness, abandonverb

   a feeling of extreme emotional intensity

   "the wildness of his anger"

   Synonyms:
   fury, unconstraint, wantonness, wildness, violence, vehemence, furiousness, ferocity, fierceness

3. abandonverb

   forsake, leave behind

   "We abandoned the old car in the empty parking lot"

   Synonyms:
   give up, vacate, empty, desert, forsake, desolate

4. abandon, give upverb

   give up with the intent of never claiming again

   "Abandon your life to God"; "She gave up her children to her ex-husband when she moved to Tahiti"; "We gave the drowning victim up for dead"

   Synonyms:
   spare, allow, forfeit, vacate, release, give up, forsake, forgo, kick, throw in, surrender, part with, fall by the wayside, desolate, lay off, waive, throw overboard, dispense with, cede, stop, empty, desert, relinquish, throw in the towel, deliver, resign, cease, chuck up the sponge, renounce, discontinue, drop out, free, drop by the wayside, forego, quit

5. vacate, empty, abandonverb

   leave behind empty; move out of

   "You must vacate your office by tonight"

   Synonyms:
   overturn, lift, vacate, annul, rescind, countermand, discharge, evacuate, reverse, renounce, desolate, give up, resign, desert, revoke, empty, forsake, void, repeal

6. abandon, give upverb

   stop maintaining or insisting on; of ideas or claims

   "He abandoned the thought of asking for her hand in marriage"; "Both sides have to give up some claims in these negotiations"

   Synonyms:
   spare, allow, forfeit, vacate, release, give up, forsake, forgo, kick, throw in, surrender, part with, fall by the wayside, desolate, lay off, waive, throw overboard, dispense with, cede, stop, empty, desert, relinquish, throw in the towel, deliver, resign, cease, chuck up the sponge, renounce, discontinue, drop out, free, drop by the wayside, forego, quit

7. abandon, forsake, desolate, desertverb

   leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

   "The mother deserted her children"

   Synonyms:
   waste, devastate, give up, desert, lay waste to, vacate, scourge, empty, depopulate, defect, forsake, ravage, desolate

Matched Categories

1. • Discard
   • Leave
   • Unrestraint

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. give upverb

   give up an opportunity

   i gave up my chance

   Submitted by r.pisani on January 11, 2022  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:2.8 / 4 votes

1. abandonverb

   Synonyms:
   leave, relinquish, quit, forsake, desert, evacuate, drop, abjure, forswear, give over, cast off, retire from, withdraw from

2. abandonverb

   Synonyms:
   surrender, cede, yield, resign, forego, renounce, waive, vacate, ABDICATE, deliver up, give up, part with, let go, lay down

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

1. abandonnoun

   Synonyms:
   unrestraint, wantonness

2. abandonverb

   Synonyms:
   desert, forsake, forego, discard, relinquish, repudiate, waive, renounce, abdicate

   Antonyms:
   retain, maintain, continue, cherish

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "abandon":

   renounce, leave, relinquish, waive, forgo, surrender, forego, forsake, quit, abandonment, abandons, drop, discontinue, flee, discard, abdicate, leaving

Suggested Resources

1. abandon

   Song lyrics by abandon -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by abandon on the Lyrics.com website.

2. Abandon

   Abandon vs. Abandoned -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Abandon and Abandoned.

How to pronounce abandon?

How to say abandon in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use abandon in a sentence?

1. Carlos Marun:

   This government will fall, it cannot survive. Either we abandon ship now or go down with it.

2. Masamichi Adachi:

   Ueda won’t abruptly move and probably wait until his second meeting in June, in changing forward guidance and YCC, the BOJ will likely abandon its 10-year bond yield target, while maintaining negative interest rates, to arrest distortions in the yield curve.

3. Emil Wiechert:

   So far as modern science is concerned, we have to abandon completely the idea that by going into the realm of the small we shall reach the ultimate foundations of the universe. I believe we can abandon this idea without any regret. The universe is infinite in all directions, not only above us in the large but also below us in the small.

4. Luis Urzua:

   When we prayed, we didn't pray to get rescued; we prayed for the people outside not to abandon us.

5. Leoncio Evasco Jr:

   It also further unmasks the true character of the Aquino regime – one that in the face of debacle will abandon ship and run like a headless chicken.