desolate

[ adjective des-uh-lit; verb des-uh-leyt ]

/ adjective ˈdɛs ə lɪt; verb ˈdɛs əˌleɪt /

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adjective

barren or laid waste; devastated: a treeless, desolate landscape.

deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited.

solitary; lonely: a desolate place.

having the feeling of being abandoned by friends or by hope; forlorn.

dreary; dismal; gloomy: desolate prospects.

verb (used with object), des·o·lat·ed, des·o·lat·ing.

to lay waste; devastate.

to deprive of inhabitants; depopulate.

to make disconsolate.

to forsake or abandon.

Nearby words

desmoulins, desna, desnood, deso, desocialize, desolate, desolation, desonide, desorb, desorption, desoximetasone

Origin of desolate

1325–75; Middle English < Latin dēsōlātus forsaken, past participle of dēsōlāre, equivalent to dē- de- + sōlāre to make lonely, derivative of sōlus sole¹; see -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR desolate

1 ravaged.

2 desert.

4 lonesome, lost; miserable, wretched, woebegone, woeful, inconsolable, cheerless, hopeless.

6 ravage, ruin.

8 sadden, depress.

9 desert.

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ANTONYMS FOR desolate

4 delighted, happy.

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Related forms

des·o·late·ly, adverbdes·o·late·ness, noundes·o·lat·er, des·o·la·tor, nounqua·si-des·o·late, adjective

qua·si-des·o·late·ly, adverb

Can be confused

desolate dissolute

Synonym study

4. Desolate, disconsolate, forlorn suggest one who is in a sad and wretched condition. The desolate person is deprived of human consolation, relationships, or presence: desolate and despairing. The disconsolate person is aware of the efforts of others to console and comfort, but is unable to be relieved or cheered by them: She remained disconsolate even in the midst of friends. The forlorn person is lost, deserted, or forsaken by friends: wretched and forlorn in a strange city.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for desolately

Joy got the train with a desolately long interval of waiting at the station.
The Wishing-Ring Man|Margaret Widdemer
Desolately she wandered up the secret trail to Wildenai's bower.
Their Mariposa Legend|Charlotte Herr
"We are now about to get all the news of the neighbourhood," she said desolately.
Love at Paddington|W. Pett Ridge
Notwithstanding a night as delightful as could be imagined, to-day it rained nearly all day most desolately.
An Artilleryman's Diary|Jenkin Lloyd Jones

Calling to one another, it was not long before he saw the child wandering forlornly and desolately in the mist.
Stories By English Authors: France|Various

British Dictionary definitions for desolately

desolate

adjective (ˈdɛsəlɪt)

uninhabited; deserted

made uninhabitable; laid waste; devastated

without friends, hope, or encouragement; forlorn, wretched, or abandoned

gloomy or dismal; depressing

verb (ˈdɛsəˌleɪt) (tr)

to deprive of inhabitants; depopulate

to make barren or lay waste; devastate

to make wretched or forlorn

to forsake or abandon

Derived Forms

desolater or desolator, noundesolately, adverbdesolateness, noun

Word Origin for desolate

C14: from Latin dēsōlāre to leave alone, from de- + sōlāre to make lonely, lay waste, from sōlus alone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

desolate

adjective

verb (used with object), des·o·lat·ed, des·o·lat·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of desolate

SYNONYMS FOR desolate

ANTONYMS FOR desolate

Related forms

Can be confused

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for desolately

British Dictionary definitions for desolately

desolate

adjective (ˈdɛsəlɪt)

verb (ˈdɛsəˌleɪt) (tr)

Derived Forms

Word Origin for desolate