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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desolation
The landscapes of southernmost Louisiana pair opulent biodiversity with postapocalyptic desolation.
—
Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Even beyond the pulsing techno soundtrack and the majestic desolation of the landscape, Sirât (the title referring to the Islamic term for the razor-thin bridge between heaven and hell) creates a sensory experience of audacity and shock that touches the sublime.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Decades later, amid this desolation, scientists made an astonishing discovery: fungi thriving by literally feeding off the radioactive decay.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
How will the last cockeyed optimist in popular culture deal with such desolation?
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Even beyond the pulsing techno soundtrack and the majestic desolation of the landscape, Sirât (the title referring to the Islamic term for the razor-thin bridge between heaven and hell) creates a sensory experience of audacity and shock that touches the sublime.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Decades later, amid this desolation, scientists made an astonishing discovery: fungi thriving by literally feeding off the radioactive decay.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
How will the last cockeyed optimist in popular culture deal with such desolation?
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
-
Followers and fans of Tika online expressed their sadness in the comment section.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
And in the last days of August, laughter and pot would waft over the scene, happiness laced with sadness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
And the movie, with these two sexy people sparring for about 10 minutes, only to settle their differences over whiskey before a roaring fire in a snowbound cabin that looks like a vacation hideaway, has an unironic romance-novel baby-it’s-cold-outside vibe of old-school desert-island love.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
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When the Snowflake-Taylor police department in the high desert of Arizona conducted an active shooter drill at Snowflake High School in October 2024, students didn’t take it seriously, says police chief Bobby Martin.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Besides government offices, many areas had been severely damaged by disrepair, and fires – easy to occur since most buildings were wooden structures.—
Fred He,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Lockhart had previously told Deadline about visiting the property on Martha’s Vineyard — the unfinished summer retreat of a brutalist architect that had fallen into disrepair after his death — that would serve as inspiration for the setting of her new novel.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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After constant requests during two years of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli military finally brings our correspondent into the territory to see the devastation in post-war northern Gaza firsthand.—
Greg Dixon,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
-
In 2005, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, park officials made the decision to close Six Flags New Orleans permanently.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Coppola and production designer Ziering will explore their creative partnership, the aesthetic and emotional storytelling that defines Coppola’s visual universe — from the suburban melancholy of Palo Alto to the luminous complexity of The Last Showgirl.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
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Full of dread and melancholy, the Austrian import flips the creepy-kid script a bit by centering on two boys (Elias and Lukas Schwarz) who wonder whether their mom (Susanne Wuest), whose head is wrapped in bandages after facial surgery, is actually their mom. 38.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There are two questions Gazans have usually asked each other since the start of this campaign of unrelenting and systematic destruction, starvation, displacement and mass killing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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But catastrophes also tend to reveal deficits in society, and the patterns of destruction and abandonment that followed the fire—which have roots in America’s past and its present—tell us something about the country’s future, too.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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And on a more basic level, gardening activities also serve to reduce anxiety, aggression and depression, and to increase cognitive function.—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Feeling tired is not a typical sign of high blood pressure and is more often linked to other issues like poor sleep, depression, or low blood pressure.—
Alexandria Nyembwe,
Health,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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At the center of all the glitzy havoc—her face often looming on a huge flat screen that rolls around the stage, following actors like a hulking LED stalker—is of course Chenoweth.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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After those rules are broken, the gremlin spawns more of its kind and end up wrecking havoc on Billy’s hometown during Christmas.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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