n. 25B6; verb
the party abandoned policies which made it unelectable : RENOUNCE, relinquish, dispense with, disclaim, disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of; give up, drop, jettison, do away with, axe; informal ditch, scrap, scrub, junk; formal forswear.
by that stage, she had abandoned painting : GIVE UP, stop, cease, drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abstain from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set aside; informal cut out, kick, pack in, quit; Brit. informal jack in; formal abjure.
he abandoned his wife and children : DESERT, leave, leave high and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with; jilt, strand, leave stranded, leave in the lurch, throw over; informal walk out on, run out on, dump, ditch; poetic/literary forsake.
the skipper gave the order to abandon ship : VACATE, leave, depart from, withdraw from, quit, evacuate.
a vast expanse of territory was abandoned to the invaders : RELINQUISH, surrender, give up, cede, yield, leave.
she abandoned herself to the sensuousness of the music : INDULGE IN, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in.
keep, retain, continue.
25B6; noun reckless abandon : UNINHIBITEDNESS, recklessness, lack of restraint, lack of inhibition, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness.
self-control.