desolate

[des-uh-lit, des-uh-leyt]

adjective

1. barren or laid waste; devastated.

   a treeless, desolate landscape.

   Synonyms: bleak

2. deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited.

   Synonyms: remote

3. solitary; lonely.

   a desolate life.

4. having the feeling of being abandoned by friends or by hope; forlorn.

   Synonyms: hopeless, cheerless, inconsolable, woeful, woebegone, wretched, miserable, lost, lonesome
   Antonyms: happy, delighted

5. dreary; dismal; gloomy.

   desolate prospects.

verb (used with object)

desolated, desolating 

1. to lay waste; devastate.

   Synonyms: ruin, ravage

2. to deprive of inhabitants; depopulate.

3. to make disconsolate.

   Synonyms: depress, sadden

4. to forsake or abandon.

   Synonyms: desert

desolate

adjective

1. uninhabited; deserted

2. made uninhabitable; laid waste; devastated

3. without friends, hope, or encouragement; forlorn, wretched, or abandoned

4. gloomy or dismal; depressing

verb

1. to deprive of inhabitants; depopulate

2. to make barren or lay waste; devastate

3. to make wretched or forlorn

4. to forsake or abandon

Other Word Forms

• desolately adverb
• desolateness noun
• desolater noun
• desolator noun
• quasi-desolate adjective
• quasi-desolately adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of desolate¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin dēsōlātus “forsaken,” past participle of dēsōlāre, from dē- de- + sōlāre “to make lonely” (derivative of sōlus sole ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of desolate¹

C14: from Latin dēsōlāre to leave alone, from _de- + sōlāre to make lonely, lay waste, from sōlus alone

Synonym Study

Desolate, disconsolate, forlorn suggest one who is in a sad and wretched condition. The desolate person is deprived of human consolation, relationships, or presence: desolate and despairing. The disconsolate person is aware of the efforts of others to console and comfort, but is unable to be relieved or cheered by them: She remained disconsolate even in the midst of friends. The forlorn person is lost, deserted, or forsaken by friends: wretched and forlorn in a strange city.

Example Sentences

This is Western Australia mining territory - the landscape is barren and desolate, just the odd hill in the distance.

From BBC

Once bustling with city employees, the Civic Center mall has been made desolate by telecommuting options and online access to municipal departments.

From Los Angeles Times

Pacific Boulevard, where mid-century buildings evoke a bygone era, is desolate.

From Los Angeles Times

Once more, Democrats are wandering the wilderness, wearing a familiar groove in their desolate pathway as they debate — again — whether to veer left or hug the center.

From Los Angeles Times

When “The Traitors” first arrived, the team discovered that areas of the building were desolate.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bare 
• bleak 
• derelict 
• dreary 
• empty 
• isolated 
• lonely 
• lonesome 
• uninhabited