desolate
gb/dˈɛsəlɪt/ us/dˈɛsəlɪt/
B2
English
~ 4600
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
Empty and lifeless
Used to talk about a place with no people, plants, or activity.
Usage pattern:
[a place] is desolate
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'desolate' with 'isolated'. 'Isolated' means far from other places, but 'desolate' also means empty and lifeless.
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.)
Collocations
desolate landscape
|desolate area
|desolate street
|desolate plain
Themes
geography
|nature
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- 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.
Learner examples
- 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.
Usage pattern:
[someone] feels desolate
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'desolate' with 'lonely'. 'Lonely' is common and neutral, while 'desolate' is stronger and more literary.
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.)
Collocations
feel desolate
|look desolate
|emotionally desolate
Themes
emotions
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- After the breakup, she felt utterly desolate.
- He looked desolate when he heard the news.
- The loss left him emotionally desolate for months.
Learner examples
- 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.
Usage pattern:
to desolate [a place]
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.)
Collocations
war desolated the city
|desolated countryside
Themes
geography
|history
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The hurricane desolated the coastal towns.
- Years of drought had desolated the farmland.
- War had desolated much of the region.
Learner examples
- The fire desolated the forest.
- The war desolated the city.
- The storm desolated the island.
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.