Godforsaken

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Godforsaken

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

adjective

Pronunciation

god-fuh-SAY-kun  /ˌɡɒdfəˈseɪkən/

Definition

(Of a place) regarded as having been abandoned by God; remote, bleak, and inhospitable; utterly wretched or miserable.

Plain meaning

Godforsaken describes a place that feels completely remote, bleak, and desolate — so miserable that even God seems to have given up on it.

Register

Informal and emphatic. Godforsaken is a vivid intensifier for bleakness, remoteness, or wretchedness. Common in exasperated speech and travel writing. The theological content is present but rarely in focus in everyday use.