forsaken

[ fawr-sey-kuhn ]

verb

1. past participle of forsake.

adjective

1. deserted; abandoned; forlorn:

   an old, forsaken farmhouse.

forsaken

/ fəˈseɪkən /

verb

1. the past participle of forsake

adjective

1. completely deserted or helpless; abandoned

Derived Forms

• forˈsakenness, noun
• forˈsakenly, adverb

Other Words From

• for·saken·ly adverb
• for·saken·ness noun
• self-for·saken adjective
• unfor·saken adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forsaken¹

First recorded in 1275–1325, for the adjective

Example Sentences

Would I be left alone...hungry, utterly forsaken for two whole days?

From Literature

In coming to America years earlier, he had forsaken his birthright: As the oldest son of five children, he was in line to inherit the pachinko business.

From Los Angeles Times

An older woman looks at him and straightaway diagnoses his problem: “Have you forsaken your soul?” she asks.

From New York Times

“This is what happens when deterrence by punishment is forsaken,” according to Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

From Washington Times

In this bereft, forsaken place—a place in which all landmasses have merged to form a single “supercontinent”—moisture and most animal life are merely a faded memory.

From Scientific American