Desolate
/ˈdɛsələt/
Definitions
2 meaningsDeserted of people and in a state of bleak and emptiness.
/ˈdɛsələt/
Barren or laid waste; uninhabited.
The abandoned town was left desolate after the earthquake.
💡 Simply: Imagine a place that's super empty and sad, like a playground after everyone has gone home, leaving only the swings and slides.
👶 For kids: Empty and lonely, like a place with no people or fun things.
More Examples
The traveler felt a deep sense of desolation in the vast, desolate desert.
After the storm, the once vibrant park looked desolate and abandoned.
How It's Used
"The island was a desolate landscape of volcanic rock."
"The hero wandered through desolate plains, seeking solace."
To make a place empty of people, to lay waste.
/ˈdɛsəleɪt/
Make (a place) feel empty and uninhabited.
The fire desolated the forest, leaving behind a landscape of ash.
💡 Simply: To completely ruin a place, making it feel empty and sad, like a tornado hitting a town.
👶 For kids: To make a place very empty and sad by breaking it or taking everyone away.
More Examples
The news of the loss desolated the family.
The economic crisis desolated the local businesses.
How It's Used
"The war desolated the countryside."
"Grief desolated her spirit."
From Latin *dēsōlātus*, past participle of *dēsōlāre* ('to abandon, forsake, lay waste'), from *dē-* ('away, off') + *sōlāre* ('to make lonely').
Used frequently in 19th-century literature to describe bleak and barren environments, often with emotional connotations of sadness or despair.
Memory tip
Think of a deserted island with no one around.