desolate
gb/dˈɛsəlɪt/ us/dˈɛsəlɪt/
B2
Inglés
~ 4600
Acepciones
0 acepciones
adjective
B2
property
1
Empty and lifeless
Used to talk about a place with no people, plants, or activity.
Patrón de uso:
[a place] is desolate
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'desolate' with 'isolated'. 'Isolated' means far from other places, but 'desolate' also means empty and lifeless.
Sinónimos
barren (Focuses more on the inability to support life, especially plant life.)
|
bleak (Emphasizes harshness and lack of comfort in addition to emptiness.)
Antónimos
populated (Describes a place with many people living there.)
|
fertile (Describes land that can support abundant plant life.)
Colocaciones
desolate landscape
|desolate area
|desolate street
|desolate plain
Temas
geography
|nature
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- 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.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] feels desolate
Error frecuente:
Learners may confuse 'desolate' with 'lonely'. 'Lonely' is common and neutral, while 'desolate' is stronger and more literary.
Sinónimos
forlorn (Implies sadness with a sense of abandonment.)
|
heartbroken (Stronger focus on emotional pain from loss.)
Antónimos
comforted (Feeling supported or reassured.)
|
content (Feeling satisfied and at peace.)
Colocaciones
feel desolate
|look desolate
|emotionally desolate
Temas
emotions
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- After the breakup, she felt utterly desolate.
- He looked desolate when he heard the news.
- The loss left him emotionally desolate for months.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- She felt desolate after her friend left.
- He was desolate when his dog died.
- I felt desolate when I moved to a new city.
Verbo
formal
C2
action
3
Make a place empty and lifeless
To make a place empty and without life.
Patrón de uso:
to desolate [a place]
Sinónimos
devastate (Often used for destruction caused by disaster or war.)
|
ravage (Implies severe and often violent damage.)
Antónimos
repopulate (To bring people back to live in a place.)
|
restore (To bring something back to a good condition or to life.)
Colocaciones
war desolated the city
|desolated countryside
Temas
geography
|history
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The hurricane desolated the coastal towns.
- Years of drought had desolated the farmland.
- War had desolated much of the region.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The fire desolated the forest.
- The war desolated the city.
- The storm desolated the island.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
desolate
AFI
GB/dˈɛsəlɪt/
US/dˈɛsəlɪt/
Sílabas y acento
des - ol - ate (3 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (des)
Formas de la palabra
Adjective
- Base: desolate
Verb
- Base: desolate
- 3rd Person Singular: desolates
- Present Participle: desolating
- Past: desolated
Familia de palabras
Forms
desolates
verb
desolating
verb
desolated
verb
Core family
desolation
noun C1
Related words
desolately
adverb
Expresiones
desolate wilderness
1/dˈɛsəlɪt wˈɪldɚnəs/
fixed phrase
Empty, lifeless natural area
An empty place in nature with no people or signs of life.
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos
- Her sudden departure left him desolate.
- The news of the accident left them desolate.