desertion
Leaving your post
Desertion is the act of abandoning someone or something you have a duty to remain with.
A soldier who leaves without permission commits desertion.
A spouse who walks out on a marriage may be guilty of desertion in divorce proceedings.
The word carries moral weight—it implies betrayal of obligation: The desertion of the village left it to decay.
Deliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- perfidyDeliberate breach of trust
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
- double-crossTreacherous deception of partner
treason · defection · faithlessness · turncoat · traitor · infidelity · apostasy · sellout
Absent without permission
- court-martialArmed forces judicial proceeding
- defectionAbandoning one's loyalty
- mutinyRevolt against authority
- insubordinationDefying workplace authority
dishonorable · discharge · dereliction · fugitive · renegade · absentee · dishonor · penalty
Abandon completely
- leaveSanctioned time away
- vacateLeave a place empty
- abandonLeave behind permanently
- relinquishVoluntarily give up control
withdraw · disown · renounce · abdicate · depart · surrender · cede · jilt
Depart swiftly from threat
- escapeFlight from captivity
- decampDepart abruptly, often secretly
- boltThreaded rod for nuts
- flightAerial journey by aircraft
exodus · vanish · disappear · runaway · elude · evade · fugitive · hideout
State of lacking companions
- isolationComplete separation from others
- solitudeState of being alone
- forlornSad and abandoned
- estrangedSeparated by emotional distance
rejected · spurned · outcast · alienated · bereft · heartbroken · grief · trauma
Legal end of matrimony
- separationState of being apart
- estrangementEmotional separation between people
- breakupRomantic relationship's termination
- splitSeparation into parts
annulment · dissolution · affair · divorcee · severance · disunion · jilted · custody
treachery
Deliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- perfidyDeliberate breach of trust
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
double-cross · treason · defection · faithlessness · turncoat · traitor · infidelity · apostasy · sellout · reneging
AWOL
Absent without permission
- court-martialArmed forces judicial proceeding
- defectionAbandoning one's loyalty
- mutinyRevolt against authority
insubordination · dishonorable · discharge · dereliction · fugitive · renegade · absentee · dishonor · penalty · treason
forsake
Abandon completely
relinquish · withdraw · disown · renounce · abdicate · depart · surrender · cede · jilt · divest
flee
Depart swiftly from threat
flight · exodus · vanish · disappear · runaway · elude · evade · fugitive · hideout · getaway
loneliness
State of lacking companions
estranged · rejected · spurned · outcast · alienated · bereft · heartbroken · grief · trauma · attachment
divorce
Legal end of matrimony
- separationState of being apart
- estrangementEmotional separation between people
- breakupRomantic relationship's termination
split · annulment · dissolution · affair · divorcee · severance · disunion · jilted · custody · alimony
abandoned
Left behind completely
vacant · uninhabited · wasteland · ruins · dilapidated · neglected · overgrown · crumbling · decayed · hollowed-out
- historical crimestreason, heresy, blasphemy, witchcraft, piracy
- crimesarson, burglary, robbery, kidnapping, vandalism
- marriagebride, groom, wedding, husband, wife
- abandonmentabandon, abandoned, forsake, leave, neglect
- absenceabsent, away, gone, missing, lack
- escapeescape, flee, run away, get away, flight
desertionloyalty
Faithful commitment to another
faithfulness · constancy · devotion · allegiance · fidelity
desertionenlistment
Voluntary entry into service
reenlistment · service · duty · reporting for duty · retention