Word
desolate
Phoneticsdes·o·late, stress on the first syllable
/ˈdɛsəˌɫeɪt/
Definitions
01empty and lonely place
C1 · Advanced Literary
adj. an empty place where no people live and nothing seems to grow.
adj. deserted and devoid of inhabitants; typically describing a landscape that is barren or lifeless.
Español:desierto
“The explorers trekked across a desolate landscape of rocks and sand.”
“The high plateau was a desolate expanse of wind-swept stone, where the only signs of life were the occasional hardy shrubs clinging to the cliffs.”
02extremely sad
C1 · Advanced Literary
adj. feeling very sad, lonely, and without hope.
adj. feeling or showing great misery, loneliness, or hopelessness.
“She felt desolate after her best friend moved to another country.”
“The news of the closure left the small community feeling desolate, as if the very heart of the village had been ripped out.”
03to ruin or make sad
C2 · Proficiency Formal · Literary
v. to ruin a place or to make someone feel very sad.
v. to lay waste to a location or to deprive someone of hope and happiness.
“The fire threatened to desolate the entire valley.”
“The sudden loss of his life's work threatened to desolate him completely, leaving him with no clear path forward.”
Usage
This verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“For gardeners keen to rejuvenate their dreary, desolate brown patches quickly, autumn bedding plants can help provide some late-season cheer.” “While it might look desolate now, the hope is that some insects and plant species will eventually colonise the ground either sides of the tracks.” “Campaigners and community members living near an ancient bluebell woodland in Kent say it has been turned into a "desolate wasteland", buried under uncleared, "illegally" dumped waste.” “Ukrainian photographer Anton Skyba visited Chernobyl to document the gradual renewal of a site that has remained desolate for 30 years.” Etymology
From Middle English desolat(e). See Etymology 2 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
From Middle English desolaten (“to desolate”), from desolat(e) (“desolate”), from Latin dēsōlātus, perfect passive participle of dēsōlō (“to leave alone, make lonely, lay waste, desolate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/desolate
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0