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Showing results for desolate. Search instead for desolatester.
Definitions

desolate

[des-uh-lit, des-uh-leyt] / ˈdɛs ə lɪt, ˈdɛs əˌleɪt /
ADJECTIVE
unused, barren
Synonyms
STRONGEST
bare bleak derelict dreary empty isolated lonely lonesome uninhabited
STRONG
abandoned desert destroyed forsaken ruined waste
WEAK
godforsaken lorn solitary unfrequented unoccupied vacant wild
Antonyms
STRONGEST
befriended bright full inhabited loved pleasant populated
STRONG
cherished intact protected restored saved
WEAK
cheerful cultivated happy pleased used
ADJECTIVE
depressed, despondent
Synonyms
STRONGEST
bleak forlorn lonely lonesome
STRONG
abandoned black blue dejected down forsaken hurting
WEAK
acheronian bereft cheerless comfortless companionless disconsolate dismal dolorous downcast funereal gloomy in a blue funk inconsolable joyless lorn melancholy miserable somber tragic wretched
Antonyms
STRONGEST
befriended cheerful loved
STRONG
cherished clean happy joyous
WEAK
cultivated pleased populated used
VERB
ravage, destroy
Synonyms
STRONG
depopulate desecrate despoil devastate devour pillage plunder ruin sack waste
WEAK
depredate lay low lay waste spoliate
Antonyms
STRONG
build construct improve protect save

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

PHOENIX—On a desolate stretch of land dotted with cactuses some 30 minutes north of Phoenix, more than 30 cranes tower over a construction site 2½ times the size of New York City’s Central Park.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

It resembles a space mission, with an intrepid rover traversing desolate distant terrain.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

The techno soundtrack of Oliver Laxe’s desolate road thriller has rattled my house for months.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

Or your favorite vacation spot might be the perfect beach town in the summer, but desolate and lonely in the winter.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 29, 2025

The landing site was at the near edge of the great desolate region, a peat-marsh too boggy to be farmed or settled, and now in mid-Irrem a flat frozen waste many feet deep in snow.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin