# desolate

/ˈdɛsəˌɫeɪt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/desolate
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. extremely sad

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

feeling very sad, lonely, and without hope.

For teachers: feeling or showing great misery, loneliness, or hopelessness.

- She felt desolate after her best friend moved to another country.
- The news of the factory closure left the entire town feeling desolate and uncertain about the future.

### 3. to ruin or empty a place

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal

to destroy a place or make it empty of people.

For teachers: to devastate an area or deprive it of inhabitants, often through war or natural disaster.

- The long war desolated the countryside, leaving many farms empty.
- The flood waters desolated the valley, sweeping away homes and rendering the fertile soil useless for years to come.

Usage: The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, such as a region or country.

## Examples

- The old house stood on a desolate hill.
- After the factory closed, the once busy streets became desolate and quiet.
- The explorer gazed across the desolate arctic tundra, where the only sound was the wind howling over the frozen, empty plains.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.