adjective
- barren or laid waste; devastated: a treeless, desolate landscape.
- deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited.
- solitary; lonely: a desolate place.
- having the feeling of being abandoned by friends or by hope; forlorn.
- dreary; dismal; gloomy: desolate prospects.
verb (used with object), des·o·lat·ed, des·o·lat·ing.
- to lay waste; devastate.
- to deprive of inhabitants; depopulate.
- to make disconsolate.
- to forsake or abandon.
adjective (ˈdɛsəlɪt)
- uninhabited; deserted
- made uninhabitable; laid waste; devastated
- without friends, hope, or encouragement; forlorn, wretched, or abandoned
- gloomy or dismal; depressing
verb (ˈdɛsəˌleɪt) (tr)
- to deprive of inhabitants; depopulate
- to make barren or lay waste; devastate
- to make wretched or forlorn
- to forsake or abandon
mid-14c., “without companions,” also “uninhabited,” from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare “leave alone, desert,” from de- “completely” (see de-) + solare “make lonely,” from solus “alone” (see sole (adj.)). Sense of “joyless” is 15c.
late 14c., from desolate (adj.). Related: Desolated; desolating.