1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
his desolation after his twin brother died was incurable
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in disrepair
the state of being unattended to or not cared for
the desolation of the abandoned garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desolation
But Joao Felix, whose miss means Portugal are out, is a picture of desolation — hands on head, shirt in mouth.
—
Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 9 July 2024
Drama, comedy, romance, elation and desolation are all fluidly threaded into the story, as are tunes that range from humorous numbers to intimate expressions of solitude to rousing reaffirmations of solidarity in challenging circumstances.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Singing with heartbreaking sweetness of both familiar desolation and fresh hope, Pratt’s voice remains the music’s animating spirit.
—Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
Its peaceful stillness and silence can become desolation, and its beautiful bleakness a portent of doom.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 9 July 2024
Drama, comedy, romance, elation and desolation are all fluidly threaded into the story, as are tunes that range from humorous numbers to intimate expressions of solitude to rousing reaffirmations of solidarity in challenging circumstances.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Singing with heartbreaking sweetness of both familiar desolation and fresh hope, Pratt’s voice remains the music’s animating spirit.
—Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
Its peaceful stillness and silence can become desolation, and its beautiful bleakness a portent of doom.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
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Click here to see more photos of the one-of-a-kind homes in the Utah desert.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
19 Mar. 2025
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacramento Bee,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Image On the other side of East 138th Street, in a tall public housing building in far greater disrepair than Mr. Mejia’s walkup — the lobby ceiling leaks water near the mailboxes — Caleb Rijos, 14, lived with his father and sister on the 14th floor.—
Michael Wilson,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
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As noted on the Alamo website, the site fell into disrepair until the U.S. Army took it over in the 1840s as a supply hub, only to be abandoned again with the building of a more permanent military garrison at Fort Sam Houston.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA TODAY,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Frank describes indulging with all ages and body types before the excitement began to fade and a kind of melancholy set in.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
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But where Knight of Cups often drifts along in a generalized fog of melancholy, Blanchett actually makes the film’s lament for shattered relationships and thwarted potential actually hurt.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The war at its height displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population and has caused vast destruction across the territory.—
Ibrahim Hazboun,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2025
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Another defendant, Lucy Grace Nelson, was charged in Colorado federal court on Feb. 26 with malicious destruction of property.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The 10 Best Movies Leaving Netflix In March 2025 Aftersun (2022) Few movies from the 2020s have hit me quite as hard as Aftersun, a movie about not only dealing with depression, but being close to somebody dealing with depression.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
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Sleep deficiency is also linked to diabetes, stroke, and mental health conditions like depression.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Scott Bassett Orlando Trump’s policies are a money-grab Donald Trump’s trade war is causing havoc in the markets as prices rise due to insane tariffs on our closest neighbors.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
20 Mar. 2025
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Inevitably, leaders ignore the subtle signals of havoc and become overwhelmed when major disruptions inevitably occur.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Between those losses, Illinois won four straight games in promising fashion: two against Iowa, at then-No. 13 Michigan and against then-No. 18 Purdue.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2025
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And since a large proportion of scientific research funding typically goes to research personnel, the result has and will be job losses.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Two mountain lion cubs have been photographed in Michigan, a state where the big cats were hunted to near extinction and their young haven’t been seen in the wild in over 100 years.—
Rhiannon Saegert,
Kansas City Star,
18 Mar. 2025
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This percentage is significantly lower than the marine extinction rate during the same period, which saw about 80 percent of life wiped out.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to desolation
Cite this Entry
“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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