desolation

noun

des·​o·​la·​tion ˌde-sə-ˈlā-shən 

ˌde-zə-

1

: the action of desolating

… the pitiful desolation and slaughter of World War I.

—D. F. Fleming

2

a

: grief, sadness

… he put his trembling hands to his head, and gave a wild ringing scream, the cry of desolation.

—George Eliot

b

: loneliness

3

: devastation, ruin

a scene of utter desolation

4

: barren wasteland

looked out across the desolation

Synonyms of desolation

• sadness
• melancholy
• depression
• sorrowfulness
• mournfulness
• sorrow
• anguish

Examples of desolation in a Sentence

She sank into a state of desolation and despair.

photos that show the desolation of war

Recent Examples on the Web

The neighborhood/area While visitors are encouraged to tour Cockburn Harbor, South Caicos’s capital and largest settlement, the island’s appeal is its desolation. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026

Ochoa’s snide speech about his privileged private school becomes a wrenching aria of desolation and need. —Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026

But with the seventh plague, the degree of desolation increases. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026

So the desolation wilderness looks kind of bonkers. —Outside Online, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English desolacion, desolacioun "state of distress or hardship, feeling of distress, affliction," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French desolacion, borrowed from Late Latin dēsōlātiōn-, dēsōlātiō "abandonment, solitude," from Latin dēsōlāre "to leave all alone, forsake, empty of inhabitants" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at desolate entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for desolation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

desolation

noun

des·​o·​la·​tion ˌdes-ə-ˈlā-shən 

ˌdez-

1

: the action of desolating

2

: sadness resulting from grief or loneliness

3

: the condition of being desolated : ruin

4

: lifeless land