marooned

[ muh-roond ]

adjective

1. abandoned on a desolate island or coast by way of punishment or the like, as was done by buccaneers:

   In exchange for food supplies left for them on the island, the marooned mutineers handed over the ship's instruments and charts.

2. placed or left in an isolated and often dangerous position:

   Getting flood relief to the marooned villages has proved difficult.

3. abandoned or stuck somewhere without resources:

   When flights were grounded after 9/11, Canadians offered their hospitality and their homes to put up marooned Americans.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of maroon ²( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of marooned¹

maroon ² + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

She’s in Vancouver filming the new season of the hit Showtime series, in which Thatcher’s character Natalie was revealed last season as the ringleader of a soccer team marooned deep in a mystical wilderness after their plane crashed on their way to a tournament.

From Los Angeles Times

It is not happening, with pressure now increasing on the manager alongside the possibility they could become marooned at the bottom.

From BBC

In 2009, scientists claimed to have cracked the case, asserting the warrah might have reached the Falklands after getting marooned on icebergs — just like Darwin had predicted.

From Salon

But most Indian workers are effectively marooned in the so-called informal sector — laboring at roadside stalls, in small shops and in itinerant trades where they have no guarantee of income or the possibility of advancement.

From New York Times

More than 50 enormous vessels bobbed in the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean, marooned off the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. As days stretched into weeks, they waited their turn to pull up to the docks and disgorge their cargo.

From New York Times

Related Words

• ashore
• stranded
• wrecked