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

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

From BBC

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

After several trips evacuating wounded men from Dien Bien Phu, she was marooned there at the end of March 1954 when her plane sprung an oil leak.

From BBC

If there’s a fashion lesson to be had from “Palm Royale,” it’s that you can look fabulous even if you’re broke, marooned at sea — or, say, in a coma.

From Los Angeles Times

They were marooned in the midst of the room.

From Literature

Related Words

• ashore
• stranded
• wrecked