desolate
gb/dˈɛsəlɪt/ us/dˈɛsəlɪt/
B2
English
~ 4600
elhagyatott, kietlen, kihalt, vigasztalan, összetört, pusztává tesz, elnéptelenít, sivárrá tesz
B2
1
Usage pattern:
[a place] is desolate
The once-busy town was now desolate after the factory closed.
Az egykor nyüzsgő város a gyár bezárása után elhagyatottá vált.
A desolate stretch of highway ran through the desert.
A sivatagon át egy kietlen országútszakasz vezetett.
The island looked desolate, with no signs of human habitation.
Learner examples
The beach was desolate after the storm.
A strand a vihar után elhagyatott volt.
This road is long and desolate.
Ez az út hosszú és kietlen.
The farm is in a desolate area.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'desolate' with 'isolated'. 'Isolated' means far from other places, but 'desolate' also means empty and lifeless.
Meaning
Empty and lifeless
Collocations
desolate landscape
|desolate area
|desolate street
|desolate plain
Synonyms
barren (Focuses more on the inability to support life, especially plant life.)
|
bleak (Emphasizes harshness and lack of comfort in addition to emptiness.)
Antonyms
populated (Describes a place with many people living there.)
|
fertile (Describes land that can support abundant plant life.)
Themes
geography
|nature
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Used to talk about a place with no people, plants, or activity.
Describing a place that is empty, barren, and without people or signs of life.
C1
LITERARY
2
Usage pattern:
[someone] feels desolate
After the breakup, she felt utterly desolate.
A szakítás után teljesen összetörtnek érezte magát.
He looked desolate when he heard the news.
Vigasztalannak tűnt, amikor meghallotta a hírt.
The loss left him emotionally desolate for months.
Learner examples
She felt desolate after her friend left.
Elhagyatottnak érezte magát, miután a barátja elment.
He was desolate when his dog died.
Teljesen összetört, amikor meghalt a kutyája.
I felt desolate when I moved to a new city.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'desolate' with 'lonely'. 'Lonely' is common and neutral, while 'desolate' is stronger and more literary.
Meaning
Very sad and lonely
Collocations
feel desolate
|look desolate
|emotionally desolate
Synonyms
forlorn (Implies sadness with a sense of abandonment.)
|
heartbroken (Stronger focus on emotional pain from loss.)
Antonyms
comforted (Feeling supported or reassured.)
|
content (Feeling satisfied and at peace.)
Themes
emotions
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Feeling very sad and alone.
Feeling or showing great unhappiness and loneliness.
VERB
C2
FORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
to desolate [a place]
The hurricane desolated the coastal towns.
A hurrikán pusztává tette a part menti városokat.
Years of drought had desolated the farmland.
Az évekig tartó aszály sivárrá tette a termőföldet.
War had desolated much of the region.
Learner examples
The fire desolated the forest.
A tűz pusztává tette az erdőt.
The war desolated the city.
A háború pusztává tette a várost.
The storm desolated the island.
Meaning
Make a place empty and lifeless
Collocations
war desolated the city
|desolated countryside
Synonyms
devastate (Often used for destruction caused by disaster or war.)
|
ravage (Implies severe and often violent damage.)
Antonyms
repopulate (To bring people back to live in a place.)
|
restore (To bring something back to a good condition or to life.)
Themes
geography
|history
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make a place empty and without life.
To cause a place to be empty, barren, or without people or activity.
Grammar
Dictionary form
desolate
IPA
GB/dˈɛsəlɪt/
US/dˈɛsəlɪt/
Syllables & stress
des - ol - ate (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (des)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: desolate
Verb
- Base: desolate
- 3rd Person Singular: desolates
- Present Participle: desolating
- Past: desolated
Word family
Forms
desolates
verb
desolating
verb
desolated
verb
Core family
desolation
noun C1
Related words
desolately
adverb
Expressions
desolate wilderness
1/dˈɛsəlɪt wˈɪldɚnəs/
fixed phrase
Empty, lifeless natural area
An empty place in nature with no people or signs of life.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- Her sudden departure left him desolate.
- The news of the accident left them desolate.