# abandoner

CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/abandoner
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Definition

someone who leaves a person, place, or responsibility behind forever. You use this to describe a person who quits or gives up on something they started.

For teachers: a person who deserts or leaves behind a person, duty, or cause. Often carries a negative connotation of failing to fulfill a commitment or moral obligation.

## Examples

- He was labeled an abandoner after leaving the team mid-season.
- The child felt like an abandoner when she finally moved out of her elderly parents' home to start her own life.
- Sociological studies of the era often categorized the father who left his family not merely as a runaway, but as a systemic abandoner of civic and domestic stability.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.