Shipwrecked: meaning, definitions and examples

This word is typically used to describe a person or group of people who have survived the destruction of their ship in a disaster at sea. It often conveys a dramatic and life-threatening situation.

• The sailors were shipwrecked on a deserted island for weeks.
• After the storm, they were shipwrecked and struggled to find food and water.

Stranded is used to describe someone who is stuck in an inconvenient or difficult place without the means to leave. This term applies to a variety of situations, not just sea-related ones.

• After the car broke down, they were stranded on the side of the highway.
• The hikers were stranded in the forest when the storm hit.

Marooned is used for someone who has been left or trapped in an isolated place, usually intentionally. It implies abandonment and often betrayal.

• The pirates marooned him on a deserted island with no means of escape.
• He found himself marooned in a remote village with no way to contact anyone.

A castaway is someone who has been left alone on a deserted island or remote location, usually because of a shipwreck. This term often emphasizes the sense of isolation and abandonment.

• The novel tells the story of a castaway who learns to survive on a deserted island.
• She felt like a modern-day castaway when the ferry left without her.