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desolate

des·o·late
D d

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [adjective des-uh-lit; verb des-uh-leyt]
    • /adjective ˈdɛs ə lɪt; verb ˈdɛs əˌleɪt/
    • /ˈdes.əl.ət/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [adjective des-uh-lit; verb des-uh-leyt]
    • /adjective ˈdɛs ə lɪt; verb ˈdɛs əˌleɪt/

Definitions of desolate word

  • adjective desolate A desolate place is empty of people and lacking in comfort. 3
  • adjective desolate If someone is desolate, they feel very sad, alone, and without hope. 3
  • verb desolate If something desolates you, it upsets you and makes you very unhappy. 3
  • adjective desolate uninhabited; deserted 3
  • adjective desolate made uninhabitable; laid waste; devastated 3
  • adjective desolate without friends, hope, or encouragement; forlorn, wretched, or abandoned 3

Information block about the term

Origin of desolate

First appearance:

before 1325
One of the 16% oldest English words
1325-75; Middle English < Latin dēsōlātus forsaken, past participle of dēsōlāre, equivalent to dē- de- + sōlāre to make lonely, derivative of sōlus sole1; see -ate1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Desolate

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

desolate popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 89% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

desolate usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for desolate

adj desolate

  • lonely — affected with, characterized by, or causing a depressing feeling of being alone; lonesome.
  • uninhabited — having inhabitants; occupied; lived in or on: an inhabited island.
  • isolated — compact
  • dreary — causing sadness or gloom.
  • bare — If a part of your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothing.

adjective desolate

  • deserted — abandoned; forsaken: the problems of deserted wives and children.
  • barren — A barren landscape is dry and bare, and has very few plants and no trees.
  • unused — not used; not put to use: an unused room.
  • unhappy — sad; miserable; wretched: Why is she so unhappy?
  • despondent — If you are despondent, you are very unhappy because you have been experiencing difficulties that you think you will not be able to overcome.

verb desolate

  • destroy — To destroy something means to cause so much damage to it that it is completely ruined or does not exist any more.
  • ravage — to work havoc upon; damage or mar by ravages: a face ravaged by grief.
  • depopulate — To depopulate an area means to greatly reduce the number of people living there.
  • desecrate — If someone desecrates something which is considered to be holy or very special, they deliberately damage or insult it.
  • despoil — To despoil a place means to make it less attractive, valuable, or important by taking things away from it or by destroying it.

adverb desolate

  • shag — this dance step.
  • by oneselfbe oneself, to be in one's normal state of mind or physical condition. to be unaffected and sincere: One makes more friends by being oneself than by putting on airs.
  • unassisted — to give support or aid to; help: Please assist him in moving the furniture.
  • unaided — to provide support for or relief to; help: to aid the homeless victims of the fire.
  • solitarily — alone; without companions; unattended: a solitary passer-by.

Antonyms for desolate

adj desolate

  • loved — held in deep affection; cherished: loved companions; much-loved friends.
  • inhabited — having inhabitants; occupied; lived in or on: an inhabited island.
  • pleasant — pleasing, agreeable, or enjoyable; giving pleasure: pleasant news.
  • protected — to defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, insult, etc.; cover or shield from injury or danger.
  • intact — not altered, broken, or impaired; remaining uninjured, sound, or whole; untouched; unblemished: The vase remained intact despite rough handling.

adjective desolate

  • populous — full of residents or inhabitants, as a region; heavily populated.

verb desolate

  • build — If you build something, you make it by joining things together.
  • construct — to draw (a line, angle, or figure) so that certain requirements are satisfied
  • create — To create something means to cause it to happen or exist.
  • improve — to bring into a more desirable or excellent condition: He took vitamins to improve his health.
  • protect — to defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, insult, etc.; cover or shield from injury or danger.

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See also

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