forsake
Turn away from
To forsake is to abandon or renounce something you were once committed to.
You can forsake a person, a place, a belief, or a way of life: He forsook his family for a career in politics, She forsook her faith.
The word carries weight—it implies a deliberate turning away from something meaningful, not casual neglect.
Forsake all others appears in traditional wedding vows.
The past tense forsook and past participle forsaken give the word a literary, almost biblical quality: a forsaken village, forsaken by God.
Leave behind permanently
- desertTo leave behind completely
- leaveSanctioned time away
- relinquishVoluntarily give up control
- walk awayDepart from something
turn back on · cast off · disown · strand · jilt · ditch · dump · neglect
Formally give up
- abstainDeliberately not do
- forgoDeliberately do without
- give upStop attempting something
- swear offVow to abstain
reject · abjure · repudiate · quit · surrender · sacrifice · relinquish · eschew
abandon
Leave behind permanently
- desertTo leave behind completely
- leaveSanctioned time away
- relinquishVoluntarily give up control
walk away · turn back on · cast off · disown · strand · jilt · ditch · dump · neglect · orphan
renounce
Formally give up
swear off · reject · abjure · repudiate · quit · surrender · sacrifice · relinquish · eschew · leave behind
fall away
Gradually decrease or recede
lose faith · wander · prodigal · fallen · wayward · lapsed · heresy · unfaithful · exile · wilderness
betray
Violate a trust
- treacheryDeliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- deceiveCause false belief
let down · stab in back · turncoat · faithless · false · disloyal · two-faced · perfidy · apostate · traitor
forsakestand by
Remain ready to assist
stick with · cherish · embrace · support · uphold
- god forsakenAbandoned by the divine
- forsaking all othersMarital fidelity pledge