desolate 1 of 2

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as in lonely
sad from lack of companionship or separation from others he was less desolate after adopting a rescue dog

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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desolate

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective desolate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of desolate are bleak, cheerless, dismal, dreary, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

Where would bleak be a reasonable alternative to desolate?

The words bleak and desolate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

When is cheerless a more appropriate choice than desolate?

The words cheerless and desolate can be used in similar contexts, but cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

When might dismal be a better fit than desolate?

In some situations, the words dismal and desolate are roughly equivalent. However, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

When could dreary be used to replace desolate?

Although the words dreary and desolate have much in common, dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

When is it sensible to use gloomy instead of desolate?

The meanings of gloomy and desolate largely overlap; however, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of desolate
Adjective
As a result of the hurricane, those communities were left desolate. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 15 Apr. 2025 This sci-fi follows a group of four women – an anthropologist, a surveyor, a psychologist and a biologist – on an expedition to map and observe Area X. All other journeys into the overgrown, desolate island have ended in disaster or death. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2025 A lot of people have this idea of the north as being cold and desolate, and maybe people, once upon a time, lived up there, but don't anymore. Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025 The Memphis rapper began the show with dramatics, rising on a giant platform with her back to the audience as a screen behind her projected the image of a desolate street. John Lonsdale, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for desolate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolate
Adjective
  • At the same time, others who attended this year’s California Democratic Party Convention dismissed any notion that the future of the Democratic Party is bleak.
    Linh Tat, Oc Register, 31 May 2025
  • The early options on the GOP side are bleak: Neither Donalds nor Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife who’s said to be interested in succeeding him, is the moderate Florida so desperately needs now.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • As found in the survey, adults who experience daily loneliness are nearly five times more likely to rate their current life poorly compared to those who aren’t lonely.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
  • Skeletal branches created a cathedral over the lonely vehicle where the 64-year-old man had breathed his last, the winter-gray river placid in the background behind a ramble of fences.
    Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2025
Adjective
  • For many of the faithful, the pilgrimage begins at a sacred mud volcano rising from the barren landscape near the Makran Coastal Highway.
    Zia ur-Rehman Asim Hafeez, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • The festival was deliberately planned for the barren weeks in June after college students left and before the summer concert and festival season kicked in.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
Verb
  • There were missions that felt like a rally racing mini-game, asking me to navigate between timer-extending rings dotting barren desert ruins.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2025
  • But Foxx lamented how the producer ruined his legacy after being arrested in Manhattan last September following a grand jury indictment.
    Mekishana Pierre Published, EW.com, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Dark Universe is home to one of the greatest dark rides of all time.
    Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 3 June 2025
  • Opening April 8, 2026 A blind date spirals spectacularly off the rails in Becky Shaw, the razor-sharp dark comedy from two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Gina Gionfriddo.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • On his release, Stern went on to spend the 1950s ping-ponging between New York and California, for a time living on a disused laundry barge in Sausalito.
    News Desk, Artforum, 3 Mar. 2025
  • One of the most powerful scenes in Sugarcane takes place in a disused barn where, over a period of decades, Indigenous children worked under the lash.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • During campaign events, Lee, who grew up in an impoverished farming household and toiled in factories as a child, spoke from behind bullet-proof glass to crowds, which were surveyed by rooftop police snipers.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 4 June 2025
  • Curtis’ extraordinary talent is first recognized in kindergarten, when a charitable foundation donates instruments to his impoverished public school.
    Joan Gaylord, Christian Science Monitor, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • The first move for a mistrial from Combs’ legal team occurred at the end of May, after prosecutors asked Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigator Lance Jimenez if fingerprint evidence related to the bombing of Kid Cudi's car had been destroyed.
    Toria Sheffield, People.com, 8 June 2025
  • Aid distributed inside Israeli military zones Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all food production capabilities have been destroyed.
    Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Desolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolate. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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