1
2
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops looked out over the vast untamed desolation to the north

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4

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 Even the influx of people has done little to alleviate the sense of desolation and emptiness. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Mar. 2025 Where is the message that can pull them out of the depths of desolation? Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
  • This film, set in 1956, hops between the Palazzo Korda, its protagonist’s cavernous mansion, and different quarters of Modern Greater Independent Phoenicia, a vague Middle Eastern nation that’s depicted as an array of deserts, warring factions, and colonial outposts.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 18 May 2025
  • This would accelerate the desert sheikhdom’s ability to the build data centers needed to power its AI models.
    Natasha Turak, CNBC, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • By the mid-1960s, the house was in disrepair and was slated for demolition until James W. Strawn Jr. spent two years restoring it.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 May 2025
  • Environmental advocates have urged the U.S. government to prioritize fixing and expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant north of the border, which handles sewage from Tijuana and is in disrepair.
    Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The poem concludes with an impulsive act of generosity that carries a hint of melancholy.
    A.O. Scott, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
  • The actor infuses this unusual father figure with an overprotective streak and a sense of melancholy to match a patchwork body born from parental abuse. 5.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Now, some say artificial intelligence is ushering in a new era of creative destruction – but what exactly is being creatively destroyed, and what’s replacing it?
    Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • Significant destruction was reported in Grinnell, Kansas, where homes were flattened, roads blocked and vehicles overturned.
    Jade Walker, CNN Money, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • For some people with mild depression, walking might even be as effective as some medications.6 High-intensity exercise releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins, which can boost your mood following a workout.
    Jennifer Steinhoff, Verywell Health, 14 May 2025
  • Advanced technologies, physical security, and an abundance of stuff [courtesy of highly advanced 3D printers] does nothing to stop a growing wave of loneliness and depression.
    G Kirilloff, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • Minor presents a similar challenge with her speed and ability to create havoc.
    Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
  • At 19, Harper’s poise and control are impressive, and even as a below-average outside shooter, his ability to create havoc in the paint and leverage his downhill gravity should translate to the pros immediately.
    The Athletic NBA Staff, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Rage, fatigue, mood swings, memory loss, hot flashes, itchy ears, inability to sleep, loss of libido, hair thinning, depression, weight gain, sore knees, night sweats, incontinence.
    Katia Riddle, NPR, 15 May 2025
  • The third and last lawyer was Kelsi Corkran, who represented individual families who are facing the loss of birthright citizenship, as well as immigrant advocacy groups.
    Nik Popli, Time, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • There’s also the qualm that once the world realizes AGI has been achieved, perhaps mass panic will arise, or evildoers will seek to turn AGI toward global extinction.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
  • The new administration can quibble with the technical points of the listing, Koch said, but that will do nothing to change the reality: The bird is at risk of extinction and needs to be protected.
    Benji Jones, Vox, 16 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on desolation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!