1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
a desolate house abandoned many years ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lonely
sad from lack of companionship or separation from others
he was less desolate after adopting a rescue dog
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deserted
left unoccupied or unused
a desolate mining town that had its brief heyday more than a century ago
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4
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
wild, desolate plains on which only the hardiest could survive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
totally desolated the city with aerial bombs
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desolate
Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 6 June 2025
The march of technology insures that every new go-round leaves us even more desolate than the last one.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
But that is how futile and how desolate Tuesday felt.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2025
When The Last of Us premiered back in 2023, there was massive chatter surrounding Pascal and his penchant for rescuing desolate children in TV shows.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolate
Adjective
Her 12-day flight included crossing the rugged Ural Mountains and desolate Siberian wastes, while navigating with only a map and compass.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 6 June 2025
The march of technology insures that every new go-round leaves us even more desolate than the last one.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
But that is how futile and how desolate Tuesday felt.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2025
When The Last of Us premiered back in 2023, there was massive chatter surrounding Pascal and his penchant for rescuing desolate children in TV shows.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolate
Adjective
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During that bleak era, Che-Chung Tsai, a researcher at the University of Washington, contacted several companies, seeking experimental drugs for use in an animal study.—
Jon Cohen,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
-
That said, Google’s latest survey paints a bleak picture.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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On social media, there’s a certain kind of influencer who specializes in attracting lonely, unhappy people by brandishing mantras and principles that will allegedly lead them to more fulfilled and successful lives.—
Jia Tolentino,
New Yorker,
23 June 2025
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Over in her Hawaiian home land, 19-year-old Nani (Tia Carrere) has been trying her best to fend for herself and her lonely little sister Lilo (beautifully voiced by young Daveigh Chase) in the absence of their parents.—
Michael Rechtshaffen,
HollywoodReporter,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
Work and plans are changing what was once a barren landscape into a new neighborhood.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
29 June 2025
-
As the moon progresses through the different phases of the lunar calendar, the sun's light throws new impact sites, barren plains, and swathes of broken landscapes into relief as prime targets for amateur astronomers wielding binoculars and backyard telescopes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2025
-
And just like that, Donald Trump ruined something else.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Executive Chef Graham House and Chef de Cuisine Graham House of Luminosa in Asheville, NC, recommend using a whole roast chicken, both dark and white meat, but placing half of it in the food processor before hand shredding the remaining bits for texture.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
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Prioritize sleep quality: Creating a consistent bedtime routine and keeping your bedroom cool and dark may help improve sleep.—
Stella Bard,
Health,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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On his release, Stern went on to spend the 1950s ping-ponging between New York and California, for a time living on a disused laundry barge in Sausalito.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
3 Mar. 2025
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One of the most powerful scenes in Sugarcane takes place in a disused barn where, over a period of decades, Indigenous children worked under the lash.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The impoverished duke needs Gladys' dowry to prop up his family's estate, and Bertha may have promised him a bit too much without informing George or taking Gladys' wishes into account.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
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Known collectively as Hessians, since most Germans hired by London to fight in America came from Hesse-Kassel, this contingent was largely from the small, impoverished duchy of Brunswick, whose ruling family had intermarried with the British royal family.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
13 June 2025
Verb
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In September 2024, the same month as the pager attack and assassination of Hezbollah’s leader, Israel launched the most extensive campaign of airstrikes in the air force’s history hitherto, destroying much of Hezbollah’s strategic surface-to-surface missile stockpiles.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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This is the signature style of Russian killers — to destroy life by all methods at their disposal.—
Anders Hagstrom,
FOXNews.com,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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