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as in adopted
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Recent Examples of orphaned
Owners Chuch and Lou Ann Best taught the orphaned squirrel to water ski, at first, as a joke.
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Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Jan. 2026
In the end, instead of an orphaned youth discovering his mysterious power to save the world, Josh Brownhill fired home to avoid extra time in a game that barely merited 90 minutes.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Her newest is about the unlikely friendship that develops between a rescue dog and an orphaned cheetah who are paired together by a zoo.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
The story follows an orphaned 11-year-old musical prodigy who runs away to New York to find his parents, who are both former musicians, and begins performing on the street in his quest to locate them.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025
This outline of Datini’s life and afterlife—an orphan with no children of his own becomes a benefactor of orphaned children—draws a pleasing circle.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
This small group of animal advocates discovered Flounder, a sick and orphaned puppy, at a local kill shelter.
—Allison Moses, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Tom, for his own part, rescues the orphaned Sam from being a ward of the state and starts taking care of him.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
The new wildlife center released a litter of orphaned baby foxes after four months of rehabilitation earlier this year.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orphaned
Adjective
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The film centers on a widowed fisherwoman, travelling alone through snowbound northern Minnesota, who interrupts the kidnapping of a teenage girl.—
Adjective
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The most devastating part of the final episode had to be the fatal gunfight between the police and Fezco's adopted brother, Ashtray (Javon Walton).—
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Now, the 36-year-old Memphian is the sole parent for Lucah and her other six adopted children.—
Adjective
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The criticisms were contained in reports into the deaths of 48 migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Nepal, and centred on the lack of safety provisions made on construction sites, the failure to properly investigate accidents and the speed with which bereaved families are compensated.—
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Amina and Amal’s bereaved husband introduce her to American life.—
Cite this Entry
“Orphaned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orphaned. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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