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desolate

DES-uh-lit /ˈdɛs.ə.lət/

adjectiveverbC1GRESAT

literaryformal

Deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness; feeling wretchedly unhappy and lonely.

Carries a heavy feeling of loneliness, abandonment, and emptiness.

The story behind the word. Desolate derives from the Latin 'desolatus', past participle of 'desolare', meaning 'to leave alone' (from 'solus', meaning 'alone'). It conveys a state of total abandonment, whether applied to a landscape or an emotional state.

Word relationships

barren: Barren refers specifically to inability to produce life or vegetation, while desolate emphasizes loneliness and ruin.
forsaken: Forsaken emphasizes the act of being abandoned by others.

populous: Populous means filled with many inhabitants.
vibrant: Vibrant implies full of energy, life, and activity.

Commonly confused with

bleak: Desolate centers on emptiness and solitary abandonment; bleak centers on coldness and lack of hope.

Word family

desolation (noun): A state of complete emptiness or destruction; severe loneliness.
desolately (adverb): In a desolate, abandoned manner.

Collocations

desolate landscape
feel desolate
desolate island
utterly desolate

Example sentences

"The ruined castle stood upon a desolate hilltop, abandoned by its owners centuries ago." Gothic Fiction
"After her lifelong companion passed away, she felt completely desolate inside her empty home." Poetic Description

Memory hook

DESOLATE shares the root 'SOLO' (alone) — completely left alone in a barren wasteland. De-SOLO = completely isolated.

When not to use

Do not use merely for a quiet room; desolate requires a striking sense of abandonment or emptiness.

Fun facts

Astronomers often refer to the lunar surface as a 'desolate beauty' following Buzz Aldrin's famous description of the moon as 'magnificent desolation'.