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Glite Dictionary
godforsaken

godforsaken

49 8.0
A remote, empty place with no people or activity
  • adjective
  • /ˌɡɑd.fərˈseɪ.kən/
translation icon : desolado
  • Why had he come to live in a godforsaken town that did not even have a shopping center?
  • a godforsaken place
  • a godforsaken town
  • a godforsaken hellhole

Examples

  • We're running for our lives through some godforsaken jungle.

    The Incredibles (2004)

  • We were stranded in a godforsaken village with no way to contact anyone.

  • Get the hell out of this godforsaken place.

    Ida Red (2021)

  • Then she will fall into your arms, and we can leave this godforsaken place.

    Coming to America (1988)

  • And how are we going to get out of this godforsaken place?

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Nothing in this Godforsaken place is ever quite what it seems.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • This abbey is one of those godforsaken places.

    The Pope's Exorcist (2023)

  • Why else would they be taking me all the way out into the godforsaken wilderness?

    Fiction book (2001)

  • We've been on these godforsaken trails for the past six weeks now.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • From there, Tris flies out to Betoota Hotel, Windorah, Cunnamulla, and godforsaken places like that to visit isolated cattle stations.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

wild
vsgodforsaken
∞ 1.0

Living in a natural state and not tamed by people

focuses on neglect and lack of comfort rather than a natural untamed state
waste
vsgodforsaken
3 5.6

Empty, bare land with little life and few people

emphasizes neglect and lack of comfort or any signs of life

Antonyms

lively
111 1.3

Having a lot of energy and enthusiasm

thriving
6 3.8

Growing and very successful, like a busy café or arts scene

How Desolate

godforsaken
49 8.0
remote
218 3.6
isolated
56 3.8
neglected
3.7
quiet
45 1.0

Surface Forms

godforsaken positive

Morphology

godforsaken = god + forsaken (semi-transparent) = god + forsaken

The components 'god' + 'forsaken' are recognisable, but 'forsaken' is somewhat literary/archaic and the whole is an idiomatic intensifier meaning 'desolate/abandoned', so learners may not derive the exact pragmatic sense.

Etymology

Godforsaken comes from the parts god and forsake, where forsake means 'to give up on' or 'leave'. It originally described a place people thought was 'abandoned by God', so today we use it for a lonely, remote, or very sad place with no help or comfort.