Desolation is a feeling of great unhappiness and hopelessness.
The sense of loss and desolation we feel at her death is beyond description.
2. uncountable noun
If you refer to desolation in a place, you mean that it is empty and frightening, for example because it has been destroyed by a violent force or army.
[disapproval]
We looked out upon a scene of desolation and ruin.
...deindustrialization and the resulting desolation of many urban areas.
Synonyms: bleakness, isolation, loneliness, solitude More Synonyms of desolation
More Synonyms of desolation
desolation in British English
(ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən)
noun
1.
the act of desolating or the state of being desolated; ruin or devastation
2.
solitary misery; wretchedness
3.
a desolate region; barren waste
desolation in American English
(ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən)
noun
1.
a making desolate; laying waste
2.
a desolate condition
3.
lonely grief; misery
4.
loneliness
5.
a desolate place
Word origin
ME desolacioun < OFr desolation < LL(Ec) desolatio
Examples of 'desolation' in a sentence
desolation
It was a picture of utter desolation.
Christianity Today (2000)
And the utter desolation at the end was unforgettable.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
A season of such hope had ended in utter desolation.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A scene of desolation greeted him in the camp that will now become his home.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But that optimism was short-lived as hope turned to dread to utter desolation as her worst fears were confirmed.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
My desolation was utter and lasted, oh, half a day.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Over on the other side, we stopped at Lille to enjoy another scene of concrete desolation.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
We all need more desolation and despair in our lives, so long as it's beautifully and darkly written.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Getting away completely by myself, I got the most amazing sense of utter desolation stretching away all around me.
Aidan Hartley THE ZANZIBAR CHEST: A Memoir of Love and War (2003)
In other languages
desolation
British English: desolation NOUN
Desolation is a feeling of great unhappiness and hopelessness.
He expresses his sense of desolation absolutely without self-pity.
American English: desolation
Brazilian Portuguese: desolação
Chinese: 凄凉
European Spanish: desolación
French: affliction
German: Trostlosigkeit
Italian: desolazione
Japanese: 絶望
Korean: 절망감
European Portuguese: desolação
Latin American Spanish: desolación
1 (noun)
Definition
solitary misery
He expresses his sense of desolation without self-pity.
Synonyms
misery
All that money brought nothing but misery.
distress
Her mouth grew stiff with pain and distress.
despair
She shook her head in despair at the futility of it all.
gloom
the deepening gloom over the economy
sadness
It is with a mixture of sadness and joy that I say farewell.
woe
He listened to my tale of woe.
anguish
A cry of anguish burst from her lips.
melancholy
We watched the process with an air of melancholy.
unhappiness
There was a lot of unhappiness in my adolescence.
dejection
There was a slight air of dejection about her.
wretchedness
gloominess
2 (noun)
Definition
solitary misery
We looked out upon a scene of utter desolation.
Synonyms
bleakness
isolation
the isolation he endured while he was in captivity
loneliness
Deep down I have a fear of loneliness.
solitude
Imagine long golden beaches where you can wander in solitude.
wildness
barrenness
solitariness
forlornness
desolateness
3 (noun)
Definition
ruin or devastation
The army left a trail of desolation in its wake.
Synonyms
ruin
It is the ruin of society.
destruction
the extensive destruction caused by the rioters
havoc
Rioters caused havoc in the centre of the town.
devastation
A huge bomb blast brought devastation to the centre of the city.
ruination
Additional synonyms
in the sense of anguish
Definition
great mental pain
A cry of anguish burst from her lips.
Synonyms
suffering,
pain,
torture,
distress,
grief,
misery,
agony,
torment,
sorrow,
woe,
heartache,
heartbreak,
pang,
throe
in the sense of dejection
There was a slight air of dejection about her.
Synonyms
low spirits,
depression,
gloom,
blues,
dumps (informal),
despair,
sadness,
sorrow,
melancholy,
unhappiness,
doldrums,
despondency,
the hump (British, informal),
gloominess,
heavy-heartedness,
downheartedness
in the sense of despair
Definition
total loss of hope
She shook her head in despair at the futility of it all.