abandonment
noun
Simple meaning
The voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by a special relation, as a wife, husband or child.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhbanduhnmuhntSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈbændənmənt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinquishment.
The voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by a special relation, as a wife, husband or child; desertion.
An abandoned building or structure.
Abandon; careless freedom or ease; surrender to one's emotions.
The cessation of service on a particular segment of the lines of a common carrier, as granted by a government agency.
A refusal to receive freight so damaged in transit as to be worthless and render carrier liable for its value.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by a special relation, as a wife, husband or child; desertion.
'Abandonment' specifically refers to the act of leaving someone you have a legal or moral obligation to care for. It's a strong, formal term, often used in legal contexts or when discussing severe neglect, especially of children or spouses.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
Legal proceedings
“The court considered the charge of child abandonment very seriously.”
Social services report
“Cases of spousal abandonment can lead to significant financial hardship.”
Psychology lecture
“Early childhood abandonment can deeply impact an individual's development.”
Where it naturally appears
- Family/home
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use abandonment
- “His abandonment of his wife and children left them penniless.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “abandonment” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.