desert
Leave someone stranded
Desert has two pronunciations with different meanings.
With stress on the first syllable, a desert is a dry, barren region with little rainfall—the Sahara, the Mojave.
With stress on the second syllable, to desert is to abandon: He deserted his family, soldiers who desert their posts.
A deserted place is empty of people.
Your just deserts (same stress) are what you deserve, good or bad.
Spiny desert plant
- saguaroColumnar desert cactus
- tumbleweedDetached, rolling desert plant
- Joshua treeMojave's signature yucca
- yuccaSpiny desert plant
agave · mesquite · creosote · scrub · succulent · lizard · scorpion · rattlesnake
Prolonged water scarcity
- parchedExtremely dry or thirsty
- drynessAbsence of moisture
- thirstNeed for fluid
- dehydrationExcessive fluid loss
scorching · evaporation · desiccation · aridity · waterless · sunbaked · dusty · cracked
Wind-formed sand ridges
- sandFine rock particles
- cactusSpiny desert plant
- mesaFlat-topped steep-sided elevation
- canyonDeep river-cut gorge
butte · plateau · rock · basin · arroyo · wadi · saltflat · playa
Abandon completely
- abandonLeave behind permanently
- leaveSanctioned time away
- betrayViolate a trust
- defectInherent imperfection or fault
flee · escape · AWOL · renounce · abscond · strand · maroon · disown
Prolonged abnormally high temperatures
- scorchingExtremely hot, burning
- sunstrokeHeat illness from exposure
- blisteringExtremely intense or severe
- swelteringExtremely hot, uncomfortably so
searing · broiling · mirage · shimmer · shade · oasis · noon · relentless
Largest hot desert
- GobiCentral Asian arid region
- MojaveSouthwestern American desert
- SonoranOf a specific southwestern desert
- AtacamaChilean coastal desert
Kalahari · Arabian · Namib · Negev · Outback · Patagonian · Great Basin · Simpson
Complete separation from others
- emptinessAbsence of substance
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- remotenessQuality of being faraway
- desolationState of complete emptiness
vastness · stillness · solitary · wilderness · expanse · sparse · windswept · untouched
Mass departure from a place
- MosesHebrew prophet, liberator
- SinaiEgyptian peninsula, biblical peak
- wanderingTraveling with no fixed course
- mannaMiraculous sustenance from heaven
Israelites · wilderness · temptation · pilgrimage · forty years · promised land · tablets · covenant
cactus
Spiny desert plant
- saguaroColumnar desert cactus
- tumbleweedDetached, rolling desert plant
- Joshua treeMojave's signature yucca
yucca · agave · mesquite · creosote · scrub · succulent · lizard · scorpion · rattlesnake · camel
drought
Prolonged water scarcity
dehydration · scorching · evaporation · desiccation · aridity · waterless · sunbaked · dusty · cracked · barren
dunes
Wind-formed sand ridges
canyon · butte · plateau · rock · basin · arroyo · wadi · saltflat · playa · badlands
forsake
Abandon completely
defect · flee · escape · AWOL · renounce · abscond · strand · maroon · disown · reject
heatwave
Prolonged abnormally high temperatures
- scorchingExtremely hot, burning
- sunstrokeHeat illness from exposure
- blisteringExtremely intense or severe
sweltering · searing · broiling · mirage · shimmer · shade · oasis · noon · relentless · blazing
Sahara
Largest hot desert
- GobiCentral Asian arid region
- MojaveSouthwestern American desert
- SonoranOf a specific southwestern desert
Atacama · Kalahari · Arabian · Namib · Negev · Outback · Patagonian · Great Basin · Simpson
isolation
Complete separation from others
- emptinessAbsence of substance
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- remotenessQuality of being faraway
desolation · vastness · stillness · solitary · wilderness · expanse · sparse · windswept · untouched · forbidding
Exodus
Mass departure from a place
- MosesHebrew prophet, liberator
- SinaiEgyptian peninsula, biblical peak
- wanderingTraveling with no fixed course
manna · Israelites · wilderness · temptation · pilgrimage · forty years · promised land · tablets · covenant · burning bush
desertfertile land
Soil suited for cultivation
oasis · garden · farmland · productive · verdant
- desert islandIsolated landmass, no inhabitants
- you deserve itFairly owed to someone
- desert roseTropical succulent with pink flowers
- desert nomadsWanderers of dry wastelands
- desert regionsDry, barren land areas
- deserted islandLandmass without inhabitants
deserve, deserted, deserved, deserving, deserts, deserter, desertion, deserting, deserters