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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desolate
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
For starters, no one would ever describe them as empty or desolate.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2025
Two boys, ages 14 and 16 — the latter of whom Danika had a crush on — allegedly lured her to the desolate spot, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters at a press conference that day.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
His body was later found in a desolate area.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolate
Adjective
While navigating a foggy, desolate Derry, Marge jumps behind the wheel of a milk truck, which may or may not be a nod to a pair of bizarre short stories collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
For starters, no one would ever describe them as empty or desolate.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2025
Two boys, ages 14 and 16 — the latter of whom Danika had a crush on — allegedly lured her to the desolate spot, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters at a press conference that day.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
His body was later found in a desolate area.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolate
Adjective
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Her family later learned that on April 23, 2021 — the day Parker found his aunt in a bleak mood — Dee had an angry confrontation over financial issues with two employees of the trucking company.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The patient thriller finds Agnes lonely in her seedy motel, with a phone that often rings, though the person on the other end of the line never speaks.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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Namir Smallwood stars opposite Coon as Peter, a paranoid former soldier and mysterious drifter who meets her character Agnes, a lonely waitress.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Mahahual Tucked along the Costa Maya in the south, Mahahual is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fishing village with quiet, often deserted beaches that invite long, barefoot walks in the sand.—
Gemma Price,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the 19th century, guano miners razed the place, removing most of the topsoil and leaving behind barren rock.—
Susan Casey,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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The next two teams on this list find themselves in eerily similar situations, from barren rosters to enviable cap space to hope at the quarterback position.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
-
This will either change your life or ruin you.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Don't feel afraid to play with bold (but dark) colors and various materials.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
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Open my soul to the vast dark places.—
Gwen Faulkenberry,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The Barnham site lies in a disused clay pit in Suffolk, UK, preserving traces of the period around 427,000 to 415,000 years ago.—
Jay Kakade
December 30,
New Atlas,
30 Dec. 2025
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Colonial Pipeline said its network had been accessed via a compromised password that was linked to a disused virtual private networking account used for remote access.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Critics call it a venue for the world’s elites to hobnob and do business that sometimes comes at the expense of workers, the impoverished or people on the margins of society.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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Almost every child who goes into foster care is impoverished and almost all leave foster care broke.—
Joseph Shapiro,
NPR,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolate. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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