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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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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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of desolate
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between.
—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Buddy was hiding in the bushes on the side of a desolate highway when he was found by a good Samaritan and brought to a rescue.
—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
The bleak, desolate masterpiece from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine was used to great effect in 1995’s Natural Born Killers, the first film soundtrack produced by Reznor.
—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for desolate
Adjective
Since the Bankhead and Livermore Cinema opened, a number of popular restaurants – including Zachary’s Pizza, Sauced BBQ and Spirits and Locanda Wine Bar have transformed a once-desolate block into a buzzing culinary destination.
—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between.
—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Buddy was hiding in the bushes on the side of a desolate highway when he was found by a good Samaritan and brought to a rescue.
—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
The bleak, desolate masterpiece from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine was used to great effect in 1995’s Natural Born Killers, the first film soundtrack produced by Reznor.
—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for desolate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolate
Adjective
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My father is a can-do, glass-half-full guy, a quality that has always felt like a rebuke of my own bleak world view, which makes the poor man literally wince.
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The numbers were even bleaker in other categories.
Adjective
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But the book’s ruminative watchfulness is unsuccessfully conjugated in this overly sedate play with music, which has the feel of a song cycle, though sung by the fine cast with gorgeous, lonely sorrow.
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One casualty was his lovely Princeton apartment, which never came together, more grad-student than dean in its feel, a lonely refrigerator in the kitchen holding only a cup of iced coffee or a jar of mayonnaise.
Adjective
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There are luxurious high-rise towers overlooking the Mekong River, where entire floors are now deserted following police raids that cleared out the illicit operations hidden there.
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Some areas would remain deserted for over a decade, because of the risk of radiation poisoning.
Adjective
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The missile flew northeast and then banked and began flying in loops for hours over the barren, frozen landscape.
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Some would eventually be moved to a cruise ship rented by the government, while others were stationed at nondescript military outposts that sprung up in the barren hills around the edges of Nuuk.
Verb
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Don't Worry Too Much About Saltwater Or Chlorine Many people assume a quick swim in the ocean or pool will ruin their sunglasses.
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Could the Boston Celtics or another team ruin the Heat’s plan, swooping in and trading for Antetokounmpo this offseason and getting a long-term commitment from him?
Adjective
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Tourism and city officials say that marketplace channels festival foot traffic directly to Black entrepreneurs and helps keep dollars circulating in local neighborhoods long after the stages go dark.
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Jason kept the look casual in a light blue graphic T-shirt, white shorts, a baseball cap and dark sunglasses.
Adjective
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Mike Braun opened the Speedway Slammer at an Indiana prison, Jim Pillen opened the Cornhusker Clink at a Nebraska work camp, and Jeff Landry opened the Louisiana Lockup in a disused wing of Angola penitentiary.
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For months, the fighters had been quietly clearing a disused water tunnel just over 2 miles long, deep behind enemy lines in the countryside around Aleppo.
Adjective
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South Africa has a history of xenophobic violence as migrants from poor nations like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi generally end up settling in impoverished communities in South Africa where unemployment and frustrations are high.
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Dreesen moved to Los Angeles, living on $1 a day and hitchhiking to The Comedy Store, begging for a set and bonding with other impoverished comedians.
Cite this Entry
“Desolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolate. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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