“Abandon oneself to” is a phrase that means to surrender completely to a feeling, emotion, or activity, often without restraint or self-control. It suggests letting go of inhibitions, responsibilities, or rational thought and immersing fully into something. This can have both positive and negative connotations, depending on the context. For instance, one may abandon oneself to joy or passion, which implies embracing happiness or enthusiasm fully. On the other hand, abandoning oneself to despair or grief suggests succumbing to overwhelming negative emotions. The phrase highlights a total emotional or mental surrender, where a person becomes completely absorbed in their state or behavior.
Sample Sentences:
- After hearing the good news, she abandoned herself to pure joy and danced around the room.
- He abandoned himself to grief after the loss of his beloved pet.
- During the concert, the audience abandoned themselves to the rhythm of the music.
- She abandoned herself to despair, unable to see a way out of her problems.
- In the heat of the moment, he abandoned himself to anger and shouted uncontrollably.
- The writer abandoned himself to his work, spending days completely absorbed in his novel.
- On vacation, they abandoned themselves to relaxation and forgot about all their worries.
- He abandoned himself to temptation and ate the entire cake.
- After years of discipline, he abandoned himself to laziness and stopped exercising.
- In her arms, he abandoned himself to love, letting go of all his fears and doubts.
Synonyms:
- Surrender oneself to
- Give in to
- Yield to
- Succumb to
- Immerse oneself in
- Lose oneself in
- Indulge in
- Submit to
Antonyms:
- Restrain oneself
- Control oneself
- Resist
- Withhold
- Deny oneself
- Abstain from
- Pull back
- Hold back
Phrasal Verbs:
- Give in to (to yield or surrender to a feeling or urge)
- Let oneself go (to release restraint and fully embrace something)
- Lose oneself in (to become completely absorbed in an activity or emotion)
- Give over to (to allow oneself to be fully taken over by something)
- Sink into (to succumb to an emotion, often negative)
Idiomatic Expressions:
- Throw caution to the wind (to act without concern for the consequences)
- Let it all hang out (to express oneself freely and without restraint)
- Be swept away by (to be overwhelmed emotionally or mentally)
- Go with the flow (to allow oneself to move along with emotions or circumstances)
- Lose all inhibitions (to completely let go of control or reservations)
- Let oneself go (to allow oneself to indulge without holding back)