desolation
noun
des·o·la·tion ˌde-sə-ˈlā-shən 
ˌde-zə-
1
: the action of desolating
the pitiful desolation and slaughter of World War I
D. F. Fleming
D. F. Fleming2
a
: grief, sadness
… he put his trembling hands to his head, and gave a wild ringing scream, the cry of desolation. George Eliot
George Eliot b
: loneliness
3
: devastation, ruin
a scene of utter desolation
4
: barren wasteland
looked out across the desolation
Synonyms
- blue devils
- blues
- dejection
- depression
- despond
- despondence
- despondency
- disconsolateness
- dispiritedness
- doldrums
- dolefulness
- downheartedness
- dreariness
- dumps
- forlornness
- gloom
- gloominess
- glumness
- heartsickness
- joylessness
- melancholy
- miserableness
- mopes
- mournfulness
- oppression
- sadness
- sorrowfulness
- unhappiness
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She sank into a state of desolation and despair. photos that show the desolation of war
Recent Examples on the Web Capturing the sea’s sensuousness and danger, the land’s desolation, and the characters’ intense interplay, the camerawork is astute. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2022 Hope allowed Catherine to thrive; the desolation of knowledge leads to her spiritual death. Anthony Domestico, The Atlantic, 5 July 2022 One way to protect yourself from this desolation is to pick up a coffee subscription. Jaina Grey Scott Gilbertson, Wired, 30 June 2022 But after the Roman Empire deteriorated, malarial swamps spread again throughout Maremma—transforming the terrain for centuries into a lawless land of fever, bandits and desolation. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 29 May 2022 Beckett’s bitterly comic banter remains, but Kurtág’s version is filled with compassion for these characters mired in exhaustion, desolation and especially old age. Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 12 May 2022 But Diwan’s film is less harrowing for its depictions of physical suffering than for its forthright exploration of Anne’s emotional desolation. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 May 2022 The photos map the experience of desolation through landscape photos. Sofia Krusmark, The Arizona Republic, 2 June 2022 In eastern cities controlled by Russia, witnesses described desolation and ruin, as well as looting by Russian troops, where tens of thousands of people had once lived. New York Times, 17 Mar. 2022 See More
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2022 Hope allowed Catherine to thrive; the desolation of knowledge leads to her spiritual death. Anthony Domestico, The Atlantic, 5 July 2022 One way to protect yourself from this desolation is to pick up a coffee subscription. Jaina Grey Scott Gilbertson, Wired, 30 June 2022 But after the Roman Empire deteriorated, malarial swamps spread again throughout Maremma—transforming the terrain for centuries into a lawless land of fever, bandits and desolation. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 29 May 2022 Beckett’s bitterly comic banter remains, but Kurtág’s version is filled with compassion for these characters mired in exhaustion, desolation and especially old age. Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 12 May 2022 But Diwan’s film is less harrowing for its depictions of physical suffering than for its forthright exploration of Anne’s emotional desolation. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 May 2022 The photos map the experience of desolation through landscape photos. Sofia Krusmark, The Arizona Republic, 2 June 2022 In eastern cities controlled by Russia, witnesses described desolation and ruin, as well as looting by Russian troops, where tens of thousands of people had once lived. New York Times, 17 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English desolacion, desolacioun "state of distress or hardship, feeling of distress, affliction," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French desolacion, borrowed from Late Latin dēsōlātiōn-, dēsōlātiō "abandonment, solitude," from Latin dēsōlāre "to leave all alone, forsake, empty of inhabitants" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at desolate entry 1
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
desolation
noun
des·o·la·tion ˌde-sə-ˈlā-shən
1
: the state of being deserted or ruined Photos showed the desolation left by the fire.
2
: sadness resulting from grief or loneliness
desolation
noun
1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits his desolation after his twin brother died was incurable Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sadness
- sorrowfulness
- melancholy
- mournfulness
- depression
- sorrow
- anguish
- grief
- gloom
- misery
- dejection
- oppression
- despair
- desperation
- dreariness
- agony
- heartsickness
- unhappiness
- joylessness
- forlornness
- gloominess
- miserableness
- mourning
- glumness
- blues
- despondence
- downheartedness
- despondency
- boredom
- pain
- dumps
- distress
- blue devils
- despond
- melancholia
- disconsolateness
- hopelessness
- dispiritedness
- mopes
- dolefulness
- wretchedness
- doldrums
- somberness
- regret
- discouragement
- woe
- ennui
- drear
- dolor
- disheartenment
- moroseness
- tedium
- self-pity
- morbidness
- moodiness
- woefulness
- self-despair
- morosity
- dismalness
- rue
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- joy
- exultation
- elation
- rapture
- jubilation
- ecstasy
- exhilaration
- happiness
- intoxication
- bliss
- euphoria
- heaven
- exuberance
- joyousness
- mirth
- gladness
- joyfulness
- felicity
- gayety
- gaiety
- glee
- jollity
- blissfulness
- hopefulness
- optimism
- joviality
- cheerfulness
- merriment
- humor
- lightheartedness
- contentment
- gayness
- cheeriness
- satisfaction
- elatedness
- gleefulness
- mirthfulness
- rapturousness
- contentedness
- cheer
- content
- gladsomeness
- delight
- gratification
- sunniness
2
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops looked out over the vast untamed desolation to the north Synonyms & Similar Words
- desert
- barren
- wasteland
- wilderness
- heath
- waste
- no-man's-land
- wild
- bush
- badland
- brush
- open
- dust bowl
- outdoors
- open air
- out-of-doors
- nature
3
as in disrepair
the state of being unattended to or not cared for the desolation of the abandoned garden Synonyms & Similar Words
- disrepair
- dilapidation
- neglect
- seediness
- abandonment
- desertion
- disintegration
- decay
- inattention
- deterioration
- ruination
- decrepitude
- negligence
- ruin
- dereliction
- dumpiness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- repair
- preservation
- conservation
- keeping
- upkeep
4
as in devastation
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless the nuclear attack resulted in a scene of utter desolation Synonyms & Similar Words
- devastation
- destruction
- havoc
- extinction
- demolition
- extermination
- loss
- annihilation
- obliteration
- decimation
- ruination
- ruin
- wreckage
- wastage
- demolishment
- disintegration
- despoliation
- collapse
- depredation
- slaughter
- mincemeat
- massacre
- despoilment
- breakup
- dissolution
- execution
- assassination
- killing
- eradication
- effacement
- dismantlement
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- construction
- building
- salvation
- erection
- rescue
- saving
- preservation
- raising
- protection
- reclamation
- conservation
- restoration
- salvage
- reconstruction
- renovation
- remodeling
- refurbishment
- re-creation
- regeneracy