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 photographs contained in the Farm Security Administration collection, held at the Library of Congress, depict scarcity, despair, desolation, and suffering but also hope, resilience, and, later, progress in response to government intervention. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026

His vision of transient living, where violence, desolation and sexuality were expressed through an aching slide guitar, offered a counterpoint to the gospel heard throughout southern Baptist churches. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

Mad Max desolation and Hollywood glam meet in the Nevada desert every September during Burning Man — and even the industry’s most famous don’t pass up the annual opportunity to torch the giant wicker man. — Alyssa Modos, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Some had waited for decades, but the priest learned, more or less, how to accompany people through years of confinement and isolation without losing himself in their desolation. — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 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