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

Maradona managed to unite in desolation a country deeply divided. —Esteban Campanela, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025

The director captures the town’s desolation and strife through magical realist imagery mixed with flashes of religious iconography, revealing how such a place can still seem enchanting for a young boy who grew up there. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 21 Nov. 2025

When Trump came to power, Americans were ready to abandon a policy of economic engagement with China that had hollowed out US industry, left desolation across factory towns, and fueled a populist surge. —Andy Browne, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025

What distinguishes two states is not closeness to realization or a workable pathway to success but a long record of failure that ended in death, desolation, and despair. —Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025

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