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Are there any advanced ways to describe an abandoned place?

Are there any advanced ways to describe an abandoned place?

Low-Phase-8972
As a higher Middle English learner, I’m always seeking out harder and better words to describe things. And luckily I’m a male swiftie, which means I’ve learned a lot from her music. My first instinct was: *This is a godforsaken building. * Native speakers, do you have better ideas on this?

18 comments

SpiritualFront769
Derelict is a common term in the U.S. for an abandoned building that is in a state of disrepair.
Zounds90
If you capitalize Middle English (like you've done in your post) it seems as if you're learning this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_English
scully3968
Godforsaken is not entirely synonymous, in my opinion. It implies that the speaker has a strong negative opinion about the place. It doesn't really fit if you're just describing an empty, unused building. Some options, from Merriam-Webster: vacant, derelict (meaning in very bad shape), ramshackle (this is frequently used to describe smaller buildings like sheds), neglected
Chase_the_tank
If a building has been abandoned for a very long time, that would be *ruins*. If an entire town has been abandoned, that's a *ghost town*. On the other hand, "godforksaken" does means abandoned by God, not by people. It could be used to describe: * an occupied building that is dirty and damaged * an occupied building with a high crime rate * an occupied building where all the residents are miserable, etc.
RainbowHearts
If people are going inside and sleeping in there, it's a "squat".
nor312
A dilapidated building is one that is in disrepair, but not necessarily abandoned. A vacated building is one where no one lives, but it is not necessarily in disrepair.
PinLongjumping9022
Forsake means abandon. Godforsaken means god has abandoned.
FosterStormie
“Desolate” is the first word I thought of. It means that no one is anywhere nearby, and it implies disrepair, though that doesn’t have to be the case. More a sense of loneliness, maybe?
narimanterano
Dilapidated is the word that I would probably use.
ssinff
Decrepit to continue the D words.
Sparky-Malarky
Disused? Empty? Decrepit? Though it could be occupied and decrepit. Unoccupied? Vacant?
tomalator
Just a note, you're not a Middle English learner. Middle English is an older dialect of English from the 12th - 15th centuries Modern English starts being spoken around the 16th century, and Old English predates Middle English
SnooDonuts6494
Google "synonyms for abandoned". It will say, deserted, forsaken, disused, neglected, unoccupied, uninhabited, empty, forsaken, neglected, shunned, sidelined, vacated, etc.
xxHikari
In certain cases, in addition to what others have already said, you can also use "defunct" to describe perhaps a hospital or factory but I wouldn't use it to describe an abandoned house.
BubbhaJebus
delapidated, ramshackle, derilict, ruined
rfuller
I would say that building is derelict (in very poor shape) and you could say uninhabited or vacant, both meaning empty. In this case, abandoned implies both. It also implies nobody is coming back. I think it’s a concise use of language despite being a lower level vocabulary word.
76561198063951642
'Godforsaken' does not mean the same thing as 'abandoned', it has very different connotations. A building could be godforsaken while still being occupied and in use. Say a prison where the conditions are particularly bad could be godforsaken despite being in use and maintained. 'Desolate' is probably an acceptable word. 'Decrepit' is also used for buildings like that, although again it has a different meaning (worn out/falling apart rather than just not occupied).
Marquar234
Using "godforsaken" is much stronger than abandoned. It suggests bad things have happened there or an active hazard like a toxic spill. In fiction, it could also mean cursed or inhabited by demons. Abandoned, unused, uninhabited (for homes), unoccupied, deserted are all pretty much the same.