desolation

American  

[des-uh-ley-shuhn] / ˌdɛs əˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of destroying or devastating land, population, community, etc.

   The war’s desolation of the land destroyed years of hard and hopeful work.

2. the state of being destroyed or devastated, as land, population, community, etc..

   The utter desolation of the Western Front was captured in unforgettable photographs.

3. dreariness; barrenness.

   The poet fashions a mood of desolation and despair in his works.

4. deprivation of companionship; loneliness.

   Some homesteaders could not endure the desolation of life on the prairie, and returned to the city.

5. sorrow; grief; woe.

   She was so deep in her desolation, we don’t know if our words of comfort reached her.

6. a desolate place.

   The town was once a desolation.

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desolation British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of desolation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English desolacioun, dis(s)olacioun, from Late Latin dēsōlātiōn- (stem of dēsōlātiō ) “abandonment,” equivalent to dēsōlāt(us) desolate ( def. ) + -iōn- -ion ( def. )

Explanation

Desolation is emptiness and hopelessness. It can describe a poor, dirty, treeless town or a broken heart. Desolation is depressing and bleak. People arriving at the scenes of natural disasters, like tornadoes, often speak about the desolation around them. They usually are talking about the destruction, but they also implying a sense of emptiness and hopelessness. Other times desolation describes bleak, ugly landscapes: cold, snowy, lonely towns in New Hampshire or hot, dusty, empty towns in Nevada. You know desolation when you see it, because you feel hollow and lonely inside.

Example Sentences

Saindon was nominated for Oscars for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” in 2013 and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” in 2014.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2023

Indeed, many of the major landmarks in the park — like Desolation Canyon and Dantes View — sound grim.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2023

Patricia recommends Desolation Wilderness, federally protected land near Lake Tahoe:

From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2022

More than 1,000 men were sent to fight the fire that destroyed the surrounding landscape, hence the name Desolation Peak.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 30, 2022

‘How surprised Bilbo would have been to see all the changes in the Desolation of Smaug!’

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• anguish
• despair
• loneliness
• misery
• sadness
• sorrow