Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense desolates, present participle desolating, past tense, past participle desolatedpronunciation note: The adjective is pronounced (desələt). The verb is pronounced (desəleɪt).
1. adjective
A desolate place is empty of people and lacking in comfort.
...a desolate landscape of flat green fields broken by marsh.
Half-ruined, hardly a building untouched, it's a desolate place.
2. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If someone is desolate, they feel very sad, alone, and without hope.
[literary]
He was desolate without her.
Synonyms: miserable, depressed, lonely, lonesome [mainly US, Canadian] More Synonyms of desolate
3. verb
If something desolates you, it upsets you and makes you very unhappy.
[literary]
Their inclination to wait and demand more resources desolated President Lincoln. [VERB noun]
desolatedadjective
I saw them walk away and felt absolutely desolated.
desolatinggraded adjective
They have maintained their optimism in the face of desolating subjugation.
More Synonyms of desolate
desolate in British English
adjective (ˈdɛsəlɪt)
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 (ˈdɛsəˌleɪt)(transitive)
5.
to deprive of inhabitants; depopulate
6.
to make barren or lay waste; devastate
7.
to make wretched or forlorn
8.
to forsake or abandon
Derived forms
desolately (ˈdesolately)
adverb
desolateness (ˈdesolateness)
noun
desolater (ˈdesoˌlater) or desolator (ˈdesoˌlator)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Latin dēsōlāre to leave alone, from de- + sōlāre to make lonely, lay waste, from sōlus alone
desolate in American English
(ˈdɛsəlɪt; for v., ˈdɛsəˌleɪt)
adjective
1.
left alone; lonely; solitary
2.
uninhabited; deserted
3.
made uninhabitable; laid waste; in a ruinous state
4.
forlorn; wretched
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈdesoˌlated or ˈdesoˌlating
5.
to make desolate; rid of inhabitants
6.
to make uninhabitable; lay waste; devastate
7.
to forsake; abandon
8.
to make forlorn, wretched, etc.
Derived forms
desolately (ˈdesolately)
adverb
desolateness (ˈdesolateness)
noun
desolator (ˈdesoˌlator)
noun or ˈdesoˌlater
Word origin
ME desolat < L desolatus, pp. of desolare, to leave alone, forsake, strip of inhabitants < de-, intens. + solare, to make lonely < solus, sole1
Examples of 'desolate' in a sentence
desolate
But Scriptures say a kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate.
Penman, Sharon HERE BE DRAGONS (1997)
At the moment, that made the room seem all the more desolate.
Ferrars, Elizabeth MURDER MOVES IN (1997)
From the air they seem desolate, a place where a man could find true solitude.
Patrick Robinson NIMITZ CLASS (1997)
In other languages
desolate
British English: desolate ADJECTIVE
A desolate place is empty of people and lacking in comfort.
...a desolate landscape of flat green fields.
American English: desolate
Brazilian Portuguese: desolado
Chinese: 荒凉的
European Spanish: desierto
French: désolé
German: trostlos
Italian: desolato
Japanese: 荒廃した
Korean: 황량한
European Portuguese: desolado
Latin American Spanish: desierto
Chinese translation of 'desolate'
desolate
(ˈdɛsəlɪt)
adj
[place]荒凉(涼)的 (huāngliáng de)
[person]孤寂的 (gūjì de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
uninhabited and bleak
a desolate, barren place
Synonyms
uninhabited
an uninhabited island in the North Pacific
deserted
a deserted town
bare
a bare, draughty interviewing room
waste
Yarrow can be found growing wild on waste ground.
wild
one of the few wild areas remaining in the South East
ruined
bleak
The island's pretty bleak.
solitary
a boy of eighteen in a solitary house in the Ohio countryside
barren
the Tibetan landscape of the high barren mountains
dreary
a dreary little town in the Midwest
godforsaken
I don't want to stay in this God-forsaken country.
unfrequented
The reference library is quite unfrequented as a rule.
Opposites
inhabited
,
populous
2 (adjective)
Definition
gloomy or dismal
I was desolate without her.
Synonyms
miserable
She went to bed, miserable and depressed.
depressed
He seemed somewhat depressed.
lonely
lonely people who just want to talk
lonesome mainly US, Canadian)
I've grown so lonesome, thinking of you.
gloomy
He is gloomy about the fate of the economy.
dismal
You can't occupy yourself with dismal thoughts all the time.
melancholy
It was at this time of day that I felt most melancholy.
forlorn
He looked a forlorn figure as he limped off.
bereft
dejected
Everyone has days when they feel dejected or down.
despondent
He often felt despondent after these meetings.
downcast
a glum, downcast expression
wretched
The wretched look on the dog's face melted his heart.
disconsolate
He was looking increasingly disconsolate.
down in the dumps (informal)
cheerless
They were like a restless, cheerless throng of lost souls.
comfortless
companionless
Opposites
happy
,
cheerful
,
joyous
,
light-hearted
1 (verb)
Definition
to make wretched or forlorn
I was desolated by the news.
Synonyms
deject
depress
The state of the country depresses me.
distress
I did not want to frighten or distress her.
discourage
Don't let this setback discourage you.
dismay
He was dismayed to learn that he wasn't a very nice person.
grieve
It grieved me to see him in such distress.
daunt
Nothing evil could daunt them.
dishearten
These conditions dishearten people and undermine their hope.
Opposites
encourage
,
cheer
,
nourish
,
hearten
2 (verb)
Definition
to make barren
A great famine desolated the country.
Synonyms
destroy
The building was completely destroyed.
ruin
Roads have been destroyed and crops ruined.
devastate
A fire devastated large parts of the castle.
ravage
Drought ravaged the area.
lay low
lay waste
despoil (formal)
the modern day industry which has despoiled the town
depopulate
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bare
Definition
lacking appropriate furnishings, etc.
a bare, draughty interviewing room
Synonyms
empty,
wanting,
mean,
lacking,
deserted,
vacant,
void,
scarce,
barren,
uninhabited,
unoccupied,
scanty,
unfurnished
in the sense of barren
the Tibetan landscape of the high barren mountains