1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
his desolation after his twin brother died was incurable
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in disrepair
the state of being unattended to or not cared for
the desolation of the abandoned garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in devastation
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the nuclear attack resulted in a scene of utter desolation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desolation
Only death and desolation in the end.
—
Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
All that desolation might get old if Sub Zero didn’t get so much mileage out of its somber remit.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
Capturing the dynamics of laborers, with a reimaging of fan covers as ornate hats, the texture of plastic bags is recreated, incorporating the clashing of neon lights to express both the vitality and desolation of street life.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
The desolation of the desert scared off many settlers at the time, leaving Arizona less populated for quite a while.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
All that desolation might get old if Sub Zero didn’t get so much mileage out of its somber remit.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
Capturing the dynamics of laborers, with a reimaging of fan covers as ornate hats, the texture of plastic bags is recreated, incorporating the clashing of neon lights to express both the vitality and desolation of street life.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
The desolation of the desert scared off many settlers at the time, leaving Arizona less populated for quite a while.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
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Lane takes his place among the best, his Willy Loman a powder keg of frustration and disappointment and deep, deep sadness.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Underneath the fantastical conceit is this current of sadness, of loneliness, a yearning for connection.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
It's designed to go 130 miles per hour and it's designed to go super fast in the rocks and in the desert.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Ironically, an honest-to-goodness mummy movie consumed with exotica (the first one from 1932 was released in the wake of the global mania over King Tut’s tomb) makes a lot of sense right now, with America straying into foreign deserts.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Over time, the cemetery fell into disrepair.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Following its decades of shining in the spotlight, the hotel fell into neglect and disrepair until the 1980s when an architect was hired to restore it to its original glory; the hotel reopened in 1986 and became a member of Historic Hotels of America in 1991.—
Susan B. Barnes,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In an interview with the editorial board, Prang was asked what effect the devastation of the Eaton and Palisades fires in January 2025 would have on his office.—
The Editorial Board,
Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The devastation resulted in 235 buildings destroyed and the death of 72 townspeople; 205 others suffered injuries.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Still, the achievement carried a touch of melancholy for Lovell.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But, but what is it rooted in as, Is the end is kind of the melancholy of the song.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The fighting has carved a path of destruction from agricultural towns near the border to Beirut, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing in excess of 1 million others, according to Lebanese authorities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Washington wanted to test if the Iranian command, after seeing the destruction from six weeks of war and the killing of its Supreme Leader, would now bend to its will, experts said.—
Saeed Shah,
Time,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Make gentle depressions with your fingertips to create ¼-inch-deep divots.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
12 Apr. 2026
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One of the bills would create a pilot program for psychedelic or psilocybin mushrooms to be used in medicine for the treatment of mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression.—
Esme Murphy,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The aim is for Abdul to cause havoc in the United States, the West Bank and Iran.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the twentieth century, the same storms that made headlines in New York wreaked quieter havoc across the river.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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