Englisch

desolate

gb/dˈɛsəlɪt/ us/dˈɛsəlɪt/
B2 Englisch
~ 4600
Bedeutungen
0 Bedeutungen
adjective B2 property
1

Empty and lifeless

Used to talk about a place with no people, plants, or activity.

Verwendungsmuster: [a place] is desolate
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes confuse 'desolate' with 'isolated'. 'Isolated' means far from other places, but 'desolate' also means empty and lifeless.
Synonyme
barren (Focuses more on the inability to support life, especially plant life.) | bleak (Emphasizes harshness and lack of comfort in addition to emptiness.)
Antonyme
populated (Describes a place with many people living there.) | fertile (Describes land that can support abundant plant life.)
Wortverbindungen
desolate landscape |desolate area |desolate street |desolate plain
Themen
geography |nature |travel |core_vocabulary
Beispiele
  • The once-busy town was now desolate after the factory closed.
  • A desolate stretch of highway ran through the desert.
  • The island looked desolate, with no signs of human habitation.
Beispiele für Lernende
  • The beach was desolate after the storm.
  • This road is long and desolate.
  • The farm is in a desolate area.
adjective literary C1 state
2

Very sad and lonely

Feeling very sad and alone.

Verwendungsmuster: [someone] feels desolate
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may confuse 'desolate' with 'lonely'. 'Lonely' is common and neutral, while 'desolate' is stronger and more literary.
Synonyme
forlorn (Implies sadness with a sense of abandonment.) | heartbroken (Stronger focus on emotional pain from loss.)
Antonyme
comforted (Feeling supported or reassured.) | content (Feeling satisfied and at peace.)
Wortverbindungen
feel desolate |look desolate |emotionally desolate
Themen
emotions |psychology |core_vocabulary
Beispiele
  • After the breakup, she felt utterly desolate.
  • He looked desolate when he heard the news.
  • The loss left him emotionally desolate for months.
Beispiele für Lernende
  • She felt desolate after her friend left.
  • He was desolate when his dog died.
  • I felt desolate when I moved to a new city.
Verb formal C2 action
3

Make a place empty and lifeless

To make a place empty and without life.

Verwendungsmuster: to desolate [a place]
Synonyme
devastate (Often used for destruction caused by disaster or war.) | ravage (Implies severe and often violent damage.)
Antonyme
repopulate (To bring people back to live in a place.) | restore (To bring something back to a good condition or to life.)
Wortverbindungen
war desolated the city |desolated countryside
Themen
geography |history |core_vocabulary
Beispiele
  • The hurricane desolated the coastal towns.
  • Years of drought had desolated the farmland.
  • War had desolated much of the region.
Beispiele für Lernende
  • The fire desolated the forest.
  • The war desolated the city.
  • The storm desolated the island.
Grammatik
Grundform
desolate
IPA
GB/dˈɛsəlɪt/
US/dˈɛsəlɪt/
Silben & Betonung
des - ol - ate (3 Silben)
Stress on 1st syllable (des)
Wortformen
Adjective
  • Base: desolate
Verb
  • Base: desolate
  • 3rd Person Singular: desolates
  • Present Participle: desolating
  • Past: desolated
Wortfamilie
Forms
desolates verb desolating verb desolated verb
Core family
desolation noun C1
Related words
desolately adverb
Ausdrücke

desolate wilderness

1
/dˈɛsəlɪt wˈɪldɚnəs/
fixed phrase

Empty, lifeless natural area

An empty place in nature with no people or signs of life.

Beispiele
  • They crossed a vast, desolate wilderness.
  • The explorers were lost in a desolate wilderness.

leave someone desolate

1
/lˈiv sˈʌmwˌʌn dˈɛsəlɪt/
fixed phrase

Make someone feel very sad and alone

To make someone feel very sad and alone.

Beispiele
  • Her sudden departure left him desolate.
  • The news of the accident left them desolate.

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