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