abandonment
Left behind completely
Abandonment is the act of leaving something or someone behind, typically with no intention of returning.
A parent who walks away from a child commits abandonment; so does someone who deserts a spouse.
Property left unclaimed falls into abandonment.
The word also describes an emotional state—the feeling of being forsaken: a deep sense of abandonment.
In law, abandonment has specific meanings regarding property rights, parental duties, and contractual obligations.
Cease resistance, yield
- resignationVoluntary relinquishment of position
- renunciationFormal surrender of claim
- abdicationFormal surrender of power
- forfeitureLoss due to breach
waiver · cession · yielding · release · letting go · giving up · quitclaim · concession
Release from constraint
- releaseTo let go
- unburdeningRelieving oneself of weight
- letting goReleasing one's grasp
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
relief · emancipation · surrender · acceptance · catharsis · moving on · fresh start · breakthrough
Decayed structural remains
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- derelictAbandoned or neglectful
- neglectFailure to provide care
- wastelandUninhabitable barren region
ghost town · deserted · crumble · dilapidated · overgrown · vacant · empty · condemned
State of lacking companions
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
- forlornSad and abandoned
- neglectFailure to provide care
- rejectionDenial of acceptance
emptiness · grief · sorrow · melancholy · estrangement · yearning · loss · anguish
Deliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- faithlessnessDisloyalty or treachery
- infidelityDisloyalty to a partner
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
backstabbing · sellout · turncoat · treason · defection · apostasy · disaffection · broken promises
Abandon completely
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- leaveSanctioned time away
- jiltReject a lover suddenly
- strandingLeaving helplessly isolated
maroon · defect · disown · divorce · withdraw · desert · ditch · dump
Act of ending something
- discontinuationFormal ending of something
- haltComplete sudden stop
- stoppageInterruption of flow
- endingFinal portion of something
suspension · closure · discontinue · abort · cancel · scrapping · shelving · dropping
surrender
Cease resistance, yield
- resignationVoluntary relinquishment of position
- renunciationFormal surrender of claim
- abdicationFormal surrender of power
forfeiture · waiver · cession · yielding · release · letting go · giving up · quitclaim · concession · capitulation
liberation
Release from constraint
- releaseTo let go
- unburdeningRelieving oneself of weight
- letting goReleasing one's grasp
detachment · relief · emancipation · surrender · acceptance · catharsis · moving on · fresh start · breakthrough · healing
ruins
Decayed structural remains
wasteland · ghost town · deserted · crumble · dilapidated · overgrown · vacant · empty · condemned · decrepit
loneliness
State of lacking companions
rejection · emptiness · grief · sorrow · melancholy · estrangement · yearning · loss · anguish · isolation
treachery
Deliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- faithlessnessDisloyalty or treachery
- infidelityDisloyalty to a partner
duplicity · backstabbing · sellout · turncoat · treason · defection · apostasy · disaffection · broken promises · two-faced
forsake
Abandon completely
stranding · maroon · defect · disown · divorce · withdraw · desert · ditch · dump · walk out
termination
Act of ending something
- discontinuationFormal ending of something
- haltComplete sudden stop
- stoppageInterruption of flow
ending · suspension · closure · discontinue · abort · cancel · scrapping · shelving · dropping · pulling out
- bad behaviorcheating, stealing, lying, greed, selfishness
- betrayalsbackstabbing, cheating, disloyalty, double-crossing, infidelity
- estrangementrift, alienation, disconnection, distance, disaffection
- family dramafamily bonds, sibling rivalry, family reunion, kinship, family secret
- alienationestrangement, social isolation, disconnection, exclusion, outsider
- crueltycruelty, brutality, inhumanity, viciousness, ruthlessness
abandonmentcommitment
Firm pledge to act
devotion · loyalty · dedication · faithfulness · care
abandonmentretention
Continued holding or possession
keeping · holding · reclamation · acquisition · possession
abandonmentself-control
Ability to restrain impulses
restraint · inhibition · self-restraint · self-discipline · discipline
- family abandonmentLeaving dependents without support
- fear of abandonmentDread of being left behind
- child abandonmentDeserting one's minor dependents
- abandonment traumaEmotional damage from desertion
- job abandonmentLeaving work without notice