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.

---

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

---

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

“There’s a sense of glamour and desolation about Lila that makes me think of Marilyn Monroe,” said the writer Daphne Merkin, who hired Raicek to be her research assistant in 2006.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Their desolation contrasts with hives of construction activity nearby, where cranes tower over designer redevelopments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

This was particularly the case with the desert, whose desolation and desperation gave shape to the film's third act and the journey its characters were on.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

Who better to help us limn out these feelings of disgust, rage and desolation right now?

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2025

“Mr. Reilly liked them. I discovered that by painting the house face-on, instead of at an angle, I can create this really cool feeling of desolation and vacancy.”

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

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