DESOLATE Synonyms: 375 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'desolate' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of desolate are bleak , cheerless , dismal , dreary , and gloomy . While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect. // a desolate outpost

Q: Where would 'bleak' be a reasonable alternative to 'desolate'?

The words bleak and desolate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten. // the bleak years of the depression

Q: When is 'cheerless' a more appropriate choice than 'desolate'?

The words cheerless and desolate can be used in similar contexts, but cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering. // a drab and cheerless office

Q: When might 'dismal' be a better fit than 'desolate'?

In some situations, the words dismal and desolate are roughly equivalent. However, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess. // dismal weather

Q: When could 'dreary' be used to replace 'desolate'?

Although the words dreary and desolate have much in common, dreary , often interchangeable with dismal , emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility. // a dreary job

Q: When is it sensible to use 'gloomy' instead of 'desolate'?

The meanings of gloomy and desolate largely overlap; however, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise. // gloomy war news

desolate 1 of 2

adjective

ˈde-sə-lət

Definition of desolate

as in bleak

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer a desolate house abandoned many years ago

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in lonely

sad from lack of companionship or separation from others he was less desolate after adopting a rescue dog

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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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

desolate

2 of 2

verb

ˈde-sə-ˌlāt

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective desolate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of desolate are bleak, cheerless, dismal, dreary, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

Where would bleak be a reasonable alternative to desolate?

The words bleak and desolate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

When is cheerless a more appropriate choice than desolate?

The words cheerless and desolate can be used in similar contexts, but cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

When might dismal be a better fit than desolate?

In some situations, the words dismal and desolate are roughly equivalent. However, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

When could dreary be used to replace desolate?

Although the words dreary and desolate have much in common, dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

When is it sensible to use gloomy instead of desolate?

The meanings of gloomy and desolate largely overlap; however, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of desolate

Adjective

These poems, spare and sometimes desolate, teem with harsh realities and unadorned truths. — Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 7 July 2026 In its vision of a desolate America ruled by tyranny and militia, the United States becomes, in the eyes of those who live in its pre-industrial ruins, an idealized symbol of better times. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 July 2026 Walking around the tiny outpost offers an understanding of just how vast and desolate this arid part of the country can be. — Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026 In the summer it had been packed with people out on the streets, by the fall is was desolate. — Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for desolate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolate

Adjective

Things get increasingly bleak, as the family dog’s heart medicine runs out and Jason has to put him out of his misery, and then — in doomsday prepper mode — carves up the body and puts it in the freezer just in case food gets dire.

— William Earl, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
The article highlights a bleak outlook for young neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with intersecting identities, facing significant structural barriers in the job market.

— Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of bleak

Adjective

Written during a lonely week while Ross was away visiting family, the song explores the temptation to revisit old relationships simply to avoid being alone.

— Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
But the Jean that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) meets is just a lonely teenager who can’t fully control her powers.

— Eliana Dockterman, Time, 31 July 2026

Definition of lonely

Adjective

As long a there’s a full-serve station within a mile or two, in the middle of the night, your car will wander off down deserted streets at low speed, and fill up.

— Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Sparkly, semiattired Lolla kids are this weekend swarming around such oft-deserted environs as Van Buren Street, Jackson Boulevard and State Street.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of deserted

Adjective

John Mozeliak just had the best day by an Angels front-office member in about a decade, replenishing a barren farm system with nine prospects after a handful of trades.

— Levi Weaver, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Sprawling acres of largely barren farmland, still owned by the sugarcane plantations that dominated the islands’ economy for a century, line the side of the highway here, gently sloping toward the craggy green cliffs of the Waimea Canyon.

— Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of barren

Verb

Meals are taken family style, and the refinement of the cooking will ruin ordinary Indian restaurant fare for you.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Aug. 2026
With baseball ruined, the Dodgers will look to avoid their second consecutive series loss via the sweep on Wednesday, sending superstar starter Eric Lauer to the mound against Shota Imanaga.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruin

Adjective

Their traditional decor centers around darker fabrics and pale wall coverings.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
Her doctor advised her to stop clinical hyperpigmentation treatments for her dark spots and uneven skin tone as some ingredients could be unsafe to use while trying to conceive or during pregnancy.

— Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of dark

Adjective

In 1984, the museum presented 48 of her works at a disused brick gas station on the grounds of the Temporary Contemporary.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 28 July 2026
The planes were carrying Israeli commandos to a disused airport-terminal building in Uganda, on the shores of Lake Victoria.

— Anne Neuberger, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026

Definition of disused

Adjective

Since then, the military have kept her exact whereabouts and condition secret as a deadly civil war has engulfed much of the impoverished Southeast Asian nation.

— Helen Regan, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
But for those who don’t see the unhoused, impoverished or vulnerable as human, deserving of rights or even life, Heimbach has some advice.

— Trevor Morgan, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of impoverished

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“Desolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolate. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of desolate

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