Dictionary.com

desolate

[ adjective des-uh-lit; verb des-uh-leyt ]
/ adjective ˈdɛs ə lɪt; verb ˈdɛs əˌleɪt /
Save This Word!

adjective
verb (used with object), des·o·lat·ed, des·o·lat·ing.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of desolate

1325–75; Middle English <Latin dēsōlātus forsaken, past participle of dēsōlāre, equivalent to dē-de- + sōlāre to make lonely, derivative of sōlussole1; see -ate1

synonym study for desolate

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM desolate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH desolate

desolate , dissolute
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use desolate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for desolate

desolate

adjective (ˈdɛsəlɪt)
verb (ˈdɛsəˌleɪt) (tr)

Derived forms of desolate

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
FEEDBACK