abandonment
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of leaving a person, place, or thing forever.
the act of deserting or permanently leaving a person, place, or object to whom one has an obligation or attachment.
Simple“The abandonment of the old village happened after the local factory closed down.”
In context“The sudden abandonment of the project left several contractors with unpaid invoices and no clear point of contact for legal recourse.”
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
giving up a legal right, a claim, or a piece of property.
the voluntary relinquishment of a legal right, claim, privilege, or interest in property.
Simple“The lawyer explained that the abandonment of the claim meant they could not ask for money later.”
In context“Under maritime law, the abandonment of the vessel to the underwriters allowed the shipping company to claim for a total loss.”
UsageOften used in contexts involving patents, insurance, or property law.
Antonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
a feeling of being completely free or losing control of your emotions.
a state of complete lack of inhibition or restraint; surrendering oneself to an impulse or emotion.
Simple“She danced with total abandonment, not caring who was watching her.”
In context“The crowd cheered with wild abandonment as the final goal was scored in the closing seconds of the match.”
SynonymsAntonyms
“Even as Leda hypocritically judges Nina for struggling in the way that she once did, she is forced to come to terms with her own temporary abandonment of her daughters.”
“Additional data on large herbivores and historical climate conditions helped the team evaluate whether environmental changes or other factors contributed to the site's abandonment.”
Borrowed from French abandonnement, from abandonner (“to abandon, relinquish”). abandonner was originally equivalent to mettre à bandon (“to leave to the jurisdiction, i.e. of another”), bandon being from Medieval Latin bandum, bannum (“order, decree, ban”). Equivalent to abandon + -ment. (See also English banns.)
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.