desolate

1 of 2

adjective

des·​o·​late ˈde-sə-lət How to pronounce desolate (audio)
ˈde-zə-
Synonyms of desolatenext
1
: devoid of inhabitants and visitors : deserted
a desolate abandoned town
2
: joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through separation from a loved one
a desolate widow
3
a
: showing the effects of abandonment and neglect : dilapidated
a desolate old house
b
: barren, lifeless
a desolate landscape
c
: devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope : gloomy
desolate memories
desolately adverb
desolateness noun

desolate

2 of 2

verb

des·​o·​late ˈde-sə-ˌlāt How to pronounce desolate (audio)
ˈde-zə-
desolated; desolating

transitive verb

: to make desolate:
a
: to deprive of inhabitants
The neighboring towns were desolated.
b
: to lay waste
desolating the city with bombs
c
: forsake
their desolated families back home
d
: to make wretched
desolater noun
or desolator
ˈde-sə-ˌlā-tər How to pronounce desolate (audio)
ˈde-zə-
desolatingly
ˈde-sə-ˌlā-tiŋ-lē How to pronounce desolate (audio)
ˈde-zə-
adverb

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What is the word origin of desolate?

The word desolate hasn't strayed far from its Latin roots: its earliest meaning of "deserted" mirrors that of its Latin source dēsōlātus, which comes from the verb dēsōlāre, meaning "to leave all alone, forsake, empty of inhabitants." That word's root is sōlus, meaning "lone, acting without a partner, lonely, deserted," source too of sole, soliloquy, solitary, solitude, and solo. Desolate also functions as a verb with its most common meanings being "to lay waste" and "to make wretched; to make someone deeply dejected or distressed."

Synonyms

Adjective

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for desolate

alone, solitary, lonely, lonesome, lone, forlorn, desolate mean isolated from others.

alone stresses the objective fact of being by oneself with slighter notion of emotional involvement than most of the remaining terms.

everyone needs to be alone sometimes

solitary may indicate isolation as a chosen course

glorying in the calm of her solitary life

but more often it suggests sadness and a sense of loss.

left solitary by the death of his wife

lonely adds to solitary a suggestion of longing for companionship.

felt lonely and forsaken

lonesome heightens the suggestion of sadness and poignancy.

an only child often leads a lonesome life

lone may replace lonely or lonesome but typically is as objective as alone.

a lone robin pecking at the lawn

forlorn stresses dejection, woe, and listlessness at separation from one held dear.

a forlorn lost child

desolate implies inconsolable grief at loss or bereavement.

desolate after her brother's death

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

Examples of desolate in a Sentence

Adjective a desolate house abandoned many years ago he was less desolate after adopting a rescue dog Verb totally desolated the city with aerial bombs
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Tesla’s version similarly depicts a man in a duster coat looking out over a desolate, orange cityscape. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2024 The rolling hills of Laikipia, located on the equator, give way to the vast, desolate sand dunes of the Suguta Valley below, before lakes flooded with flamingos come into view. —Shaun Stanley, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
At first glance, the hardscrabble terrain of Big Bend National Park, which hugs a bend in the Rio Grande between Texas and Mexico, looks like a moonscape: desolate and slightly threatening. —Pam Leblanc, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Jan. 2023 Although the terrain is arid and desolate now, around 10,000 years ago this was a lagoon near Lake Turkana, surrounded by lush vegetation. —Hillary Waterman, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2019 See all Example Sentences for desolate 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English desolat, desolate "deserted, lonely, distressed," borrowed from Latin dēsōlātus, past participle of dēsōlāre "to leave all alone, forsake, empty of inhabitants," from dē- de- + -sōlāre, verbal derivative of sōlus "lone, acting without a partner, lonely, deserted," of uncertain origin

Verb

Middle English desolaten (in past participle desolatid "deserted, ruined"), borrowed from Latin dēsōlātus, past participle of dēsōlāre "to leave all alone, forsake, empty of inhabitants" — more at desolate entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of desolate was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near desolate

desoil

desolate

desolation

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Desolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desolate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

desolate

1 of 2 adjective
des·​o·​late ˈdes-ə-lət How to pronounce desolate (audio)
ˈdez-
1
: abandoned sense 1
2
: having no companionship : lonely
3
a
: showing the results of abandonment and neglect : dilapidated
b
: lacking signs of life : barren
a desolate landscape
c
: cheerless
desolate thoughts
desolately adverb
desolateness noun

desolate

2 of 2 verb
des·​o·​late ˈdes-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce desolate (audio)
ˈdez-
desolated; desolating
: to make or leave desolate
Etymology

Adjective

Middle English desolat "having no inhabitants or visitors, deserted," from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare "to abandon," from de- "from, away" and solus "alone" — related to sole entry 4, solitude, solo

More from Merriam-Webster on desolate

Nglish: Translation of desolate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of desolate for Arabic Speakers

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