1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
his desolation after his twin brother died was incurable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 desolation
But beneath this frozen desolation, something astonishing brews.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
Forgetting Abraham Lincoln Sarah Browne’s neglect of Lincoln, compared with the ceaseless remembrance of her daughter, did not lessen her desolation over the assassination.
—JSTOR Daily, 15 Feb. 2025
The 22-year-old has been the player exciting United fans with his bravery on the ball and determination without it, a shining hope amid a season of desolation both on the pitch, where the team’s play has been mainly painful, and in the club’s offices, where redundancies are sucking away morale.
—Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
The utter desolation felt disorienting.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Scott Travers, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
Forgetting Abraham Lincoln Sarah Browne’s neglect of Lincoln, compared with the ceaseless remembrance of her daughter, did not lessen her desolation over the assassination.
—JSTOR Daily, 15 Feb. 2025
The 22-year-old has been the player exciting United fans with his bravery on the ball and determination without it, a shining hope amid a season of desolation both on the pitch, where the team’s play has been mainly painful, and in the club’s offices, where redundancies are sucking away morale.
—Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
The utter desolation felt disorienting.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
-
Comments Festival season has officially kicked off with hundreds of thousands of people flocking to the desert for Coachella 2025.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Apr. 2025
-
What To Know In images released by Giles Pendleton, the Line's chief operating officer, the city's ground infrastructure can be seen taking shape, with the 200-meter-wide outline of the city showing in the desert of the Tabuk Province.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Allowed to crumble into disrepair by its owners, the Meruelo family, the famous hotel was ordered demolished by the city as a hazardous structure.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Public water systems across the country have been falling into disrepair in recent decades due to aging and sometimes dangerous infrastructure, as cities with lead water pipes have discovered.—
Jeremy Orr,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Chu's main input was slowing down the song's pacing overall, leaning into the melancholy of the moment.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Gyuri Kim, with her feeling for melancholy and uncertainty, turned out to be a wonderful counterpart.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions.—
ABC NEWS,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2025
-
From hurricanes to wildfires, the U.S. has endured 403 billion-dollar climate and weather disasters since 1980—leaving behind a trail of destruction that’s cost the country more than $2.9 trillion.—
Mindy Lubber,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This number will go up, more children will struggle—depression, hunger and more parts of their lives will spiral out of control.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Families who lose a loved one are prone to mental health deficits such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety, compounded by feelings of guilt, self-blame, shame, and condemnation, often resulting in social isolation.—
William Mullane,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That doesn’t include further havoc caused during the upcoming rainy season.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Brady Tkachuk is considered an X-factor in this series because of his ability to create havoc in the corners and in front of the net.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Under the budget plan, overall NASA funding would drop to about $20 billion, down from $24.9 billion in fiscal year 2024, a loss of about 20%.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Cunningham’s injuries, also extensive, were detailed in the lawsuit, including significant disfigurement, extensive surgical reconstruction and loss of mobility.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Long genetic and social isolation in Neanderthals before their extinction Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.—
Sara Novak,
Discover Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Research on the Australian thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), driven to extinction less than a century ago, is ahead of schedule.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share