DESERT Synonyms: 195 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'desert' contrast with its synonyms?

The words abandon and forsake are common synonyms of desert . While all three words mean "to leave without intending to return," desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence. // a deserted town

Q: Where would 'abandon' be a reasonable alternative to 'desert'?

The words abandon and desert can be used in similar contexts, but abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection. // abandoned children

Q: When would 'forsake' be a good substitute for 'desert'?

The meanings of forsake and desert largely overlap; however, forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers. // a forsaken lover

desert 1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈde-zərt

Definition of desert

as in barren

land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops we were lost in the desert for days without food

Synonyms & Similar Words

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desert

2 of 4

noun (2)

di-ˈzərt

as in discipline

usually deserts plural suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense the robbers got their just deserts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

desert

3 of 4

verb

di-ˈzərt

as in to abandon

to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another the volunteer became disillusioned with his candidate and deserted to a political rival

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to leave

to cause to remain behind deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

desert

4 of 4

adjective

as in arid

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb desert contrast with its synonyms?

The words abandon and forsake are common synonyms of desert. While all three words mean "to leave without intending to return," desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence.

a deserted town

Where would abandon be a reasonable alternative to desert?

The words abandon and desert can be used in similar contexts, but abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection.

abandoned children

When would forsake be a good substitute for desert?

The meanings of forsake and desert largely overlap; however, forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers.

a forsaken lover

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of desert

Noun

Digital artist Lily Belmira has created a free video game that recreates the environment of Michael Heizer’s monumental land art sculpture City, 1970–2022, in the Nevada desert. — News Desk, Artforum, 14 Aug. 2026 The guest rooms feature handmade tiles, lighting and furniture from Mexico and Morocco, and shower walls inset with bottles that reference bottle walls common in desert communities. — Madeleine Kashkooli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Verb

Over the next two decades, records are few, most of them noting criminal convictions for fighting in bars, stealing a watch, deserting a whaling ship, and beating his wife. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 And a $208 million Rural Health Transformation award now lets Arkansas confront the maternity care deserts the national conversation overlooks—because when the nearest delivery unit is an hour away, distance itself is a risk factor. — John Boozman, Time, 23 June 2026

Adjective

Elsewhere in California, a mandatory wood-burning ban is in force for the South Coast Air Basin—which includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties—until midnight on Saturday. — Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025 The program includes guided indoor cardio workouts, various levels of drills and interval training, and running trails through the surrounding semi-desert wilderness that range from three to nine miles. — Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for desert

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desert

Noun

When Etna’s close companion handler Jason is killed after four years in earth-scorching combat, Etna sets out to rediscover his coastal puppyhood home in an unnamed region (Yoon’s details suggest Korea) across a wasteland strewn with refugee camps.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
These devices seem to share a conviction, however vague or coded, that the present is a wasteland bereft of life and color.

— Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of wasteland

Verb

They have both been charged with four counts of abandoning or endangering a child.

— S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Republicans think the fraud scandal, which led Walz to abandon his plans to run for a third term, gives them a rare opening to make inroads in an otherwise tough environment for the GOP.

— Jonathan J. Cooper, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of abandon

Verb

WireImage Three days after Jeongyeon became the first TWICE member to leave JYP Entertainment in the group’s eleven-year history, Chaeyoung has announced her own departure.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Authorities are searching for the driver of a van who struck a man in a wheelchair in Dania Beach and fled the scene, leaving the victim injured and his wheelchair damaged.

— Abby Dodge, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of leave

Adjective

But, because the vast majority of our planet is covered in water and non-arid land, they are rarely observed by human eyes.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Another benefit is experiencing the shift from western Washington’s lush forests to the semi-arid steppe of Naches in the east.

— Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of arid

Noun

Still, that correction has been used to manipulate the study data in a way that significantly misrepresents miscarriage risk associated with Covid-19 vaccinations.

— Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Williams also committed 32 prison disciplinary violations, state corrections department records show.

— Tim Hrenchir, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of correction

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desensitized

desert

deserted

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“Desert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desert. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of desert

noun (1)

noun (2)

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