desolation

noun

des·​o·​la·​tion ˌde-sə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce desolation (audio)
ˌde-zə-
1
: the action of desolating
the pitiful desolation and slaughter of World War ID. 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
3
: devastation, ruin
a scene of utter desolation
4
: barren wasteland
looked out across the desolation

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 And so the people of Hiroshima today are walking through the forlorn desolation of their once proud city with gauze masks over their mouths and noses. Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025 The landscapes of southernmost Louisiana pair opulent biodiversity with postapocalyptic desolation. Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 Even beyond the pulsing techno soundtrack and the majestic desolation of the landscape, Sirât (the title referring to the Islamic term for the razor-thin bridge between heaven and hell) creates a sensory experience of audacity and shock that touches the sublime. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for desolation

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of desolation was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desolation. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

desolation

noun
des·​o·​la·​tion ˌdes-ə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce desolation (audio)
ˌdez-
1
: the action of desolating
2
: sadness resulting from grief or loneliness
3
: the condition of being desolated : ruin
4
: lifeless land

More from Merriam-Webster on desolation

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