desolation

[ des-uh-ley-shuhn ]

/ ˌdɛs əˈleɪ ʃən /

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See synonyms for desolation on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act or instance of desolating.

the state of being desolated.

devastation; ruin.

depopulation.

dreariness; barrenness.

deprivation of companionship; loneliness.

sorrow; grief; woe.

a desolate place.

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Origin of desolation

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin dēsōlātiōn- (stem of dēsōlātiō) abandonment, equivalent to dēsōlāt(us) (see desolate) + -iōn--ion

Words nearby desolation

deso, desocialize, Desogen, desogestrel, desolate, desolation, desonide, desorb, desorption, De Soto, desoximetasone

Example sentences from the Web for desolation

Unlike corporate behemoths of an earlier age, Amazon doesn’t want an enormous corporate campus, with a security perimeter, designated entrances and a lush landscape of meticulously curated grassy desolation and green despair.
The Helix is a distraction. Amazon’s new headquarters will change more than just its Arlington neighborhood.|Philip Kennicott|February 18, 2021|Washington Post
Saudi photographer Moath Alofi evokes desolation with a wide shot of desert sprinkled with abandoned cars.
In the galleries: Middle East artists examine sheltering in place amid pandemic|Mark Jenkins|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
It is the desolation of exiled Tibetans that dominates the tenor here, but it is not the only one.
The Real India Revealed|Rafia Zakaria|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As you work through the collection, the scenes become more stagnant, more still, as desolation takes over.
David Lynch Goes From Film to Photos with ‘The Factory Photographs’|Nico Hines|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The first is our quintessentially modern desolation, a “falling in all directions.”
Dear Frank Luntz: Here’s How to Be Happy Again|James Poulos|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some people assume that if you can't speak or hear, you live in a cage of silence and desolation.
This Is What It Is Like To Be Deaf From Birth|Quora Contributor|December 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His up-tempo songs had undercurrents of solitude, and the ballads that became his specialty were suffused with stoic desolation.
Country Music Singer George Jones, RIP|Justin Green|April 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The door was open, and the woman and the child stood dumbfounded and overwhelmed in a scene of incredible desolation.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve thee, shall perish: and the Gentiles shall be wasted with desolation.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Under the type of breaking a potter's vessel, the prophet foresheweth the desolation of the Jews for their sins.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
And all this land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment: and all these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
A prophecy of the desolation of Moab for their pride: but their captivity shall at last be released.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for desolation

desolation

/ (ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən) /

noun

the act of desolating or the state of being desolated; ruin or devastation

solitary misery; wretchedness

a desolate region; barren waste

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

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desolation

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Origin of desolation

Words nearby desolation

Example sentences from the Web for desolation

British Dictionary definitions for desolation

noun

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

desolation

noun

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

Origin of desolation

Words nearby desolation

Words related to desolation

Example sentences from the Web for desolation

British Dictionary definitions for desolation

noun