ABANDON Synonyms: 217 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'abandon' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of abandon are relinquish , resign , surrender , waive , and yield . While all these words mean "to give up completely," abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up. // abandoned all hope

Q: When might 'relinquish' be a better fit than 'abandon'?

While in some cases nearly identical to abandon , relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness. // relinquished her crown

Q: When can 'resign' be used instead of 'abandon'?

The words resign and abandon can be used in similar contexts, but resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle. // resigned her position

Q: When is it sensible to use 'surrender' instead of 'abandon'?

The words surrender and abandon are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist. // surrendered their claims

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

The meanings of waive and abandon largely overlap; however, waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion. // waived the right to a trial by jury

Q: In what contexts can 'yield' take the place of 'abandon'?

In some situations, the words yield and abandon are roughly equivalent. However, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force. // the troops yielded ground grudgingly

abandon 1 of 2

verb

ə-ˈban-dən

Definition of abandon

as in to indulge

to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly more than ready to abandon himself to a life of complete idleness for the duration of his vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to leave

to cause to remain behind abandoned the group that he had been hiking with and struck out on his own

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to cancel

to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to) the bad weather forced NASA to abandon the launch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to discontinue

to stop doing (something) permanently marriage customs that were abandoned decades ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

abandon

2 of 2

noun

as in abandonment

carefree freedom from constraint added spices to the stew with complete abandon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word abandon different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of abandon are relinquish, resign, surrender, waive, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

When might relinquish be a better fit than abandon?

While in some cases nearly identical to abandon, relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

When can resign be used instead of abandon?

The words resign and abandon can be used in similar contexts, but resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

When is it sensible to use surrender instead of abandon?

The words surrender and abandon are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

Where would waive be a reasonable alternative to abandon?

The meanings of waive and abandon largely overlap; however, waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

In what contexts can yield take the place of abandon?

In some situations, the words yield and abandon are roughly equivalent. However, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

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 abandon

Verb

Hospitals are incentivized to abandon pediatric care in favor of complex adult surgical programs and cancer treatments. — Jonathan E. Kohler, STAT, 27 Oct. 2026 The truck was found abandoned by law enforcement officials on early Tuesday morning in Marion, Illinois, but Morley wasn't located. — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Noun

With Green, the Mets appear to be a fun, young team that plays without abandon. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026 Earlier this year, Carlile played the song for Morissette herself, at the induction ceremony for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, screaming the deceptively tricky track with furious abandon. — Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abandon

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abandon

Verb

With some of his publishing money, Bernard indulged his love of vintage Japanese fashion and has a 2000s-era Tuscan house on his vision board.

— Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Adults aren’t always used to indulging this kind of curiosity.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of indulge

Verb

Brown previously served as chairman, but caucus rules state that seniority resets if a senator leaves and then is reelected.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2026
That would leave each side well below the 61 seats needed to form a government with a parliamentary majority.

— Giovanna Dell'Orto, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of leave

Verb

An independent data monitoring committee will review data accumulated during the trial while additional vaccine candidates are added to the evaluation and others are discontinued if they are shown to be ineffective.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
The company has sought to significantly reduce costs in Africa since the MultiChoice buyout, with streamer Showmax discontinued earlier this year in a move that shocked the local industry.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of discontinue

Noun

This—along with the callous abandonment of trans rights by Democratic politicians from Gavin Newsom in California to James Talarico in Texas—will hurt the Democrats’ ability to turn out would-be voters on the left, especially among the young.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2026
Sure, Thomas is juggling abandonment issues, a ton of recent trauma, and a ghost in his head only Vision believes in.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of abandonment

Verb

Garza was shot twice with less-lethal bean bag rounds but did not surrender.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Compassion doesn’t mean that presidents or other public officials should bow to enemies or surrender common sense in tackling the world’s harsh realities.

— Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of surrender

Verb

Thoroughly unimpressed by her suburban idyll, and evidently unmoved by her responsibilities as wife and mother, Denise labors in her basement on a novel whose protagonist wishes to forsake her family for a life in New York.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
Alicent’s forsaken him, and his betrothed has turned out to be a damned and ancient witch.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of forsake

Verb

In another depressing week for the UK’s public broadcaster, there were more cuts, talk of even more cuts and programs scrapped, as the BBC’s desperate bid to make the books work continues under former Google EMEA chief Matt Brittin.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026
Yet Brazil’s count runs partially on the kind of paperless machines that the president has vowed to scrap.

— Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrap

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abaft

abandon

abandoned

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Style

“Abandon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abandon. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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