desolation
gb/dˌɛsəlˈeɪʃən/ us/dˌɛsəlˈeɪʃən/
C1
Engleză
~ 6600
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Substantiv
C1
state
1
extreme loneliness and sadness
A very strong feeling of being alone, empty, and very sad, often after something bad happens.
Tipar de utilizare:
feel [desolation]; a feeling of [desolation]; [someone] is left in [desolation]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse 'desolation' with 'isolation'. 'Isolation' means being separated or alone, but it does not always include strong sadness. 'Desolation' always includes very strong negative feelings. Also, learners may incorrectly use it as an adjective (*a desolation man*); the correct adjective is 'desolate' (*a desolate man* or *a desolate feeling*).
Sinonime
misery (Very common and general; can describe many kinds of great unhappiness, not just loneliness and emptiness.)
|
despair (Focuses more on loss of hope; does not always carry the same sense of loneliness or emptiness.)
Antonime
contentment (Describes a calm, satisfied happiness, the opposite of the empty, painful feeling of desolation.)
|
comfort (Suggests emotional ease and support, contrasting with the isolated pain in desolation.)
Colocații
feeling of desolation
|sense of desolation
|inner desolation
|emotional desolation
|left in desolation
|a look of desolation
Teme
emotions
|psychology
|relationships
|health
Exemple
- After her husband died, she was overwhelmed by a desolation she had never known before.
- The sudden silence in the house filled him with desolation.
- He tried to hide his sense of desolation behind a polite smile.
- The breakup left her in a state of deep desolation for months.
- In his diary he wrote about the desolation he felt living so far from home.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- When his dog died, he felt great desolation.
- She sat alone in her room, full of desolation.
- After losing his job, he felt a deep desolation inside.
- There was desolation in his eyes when he spoke.
- The news brought desolation to the whole family.
Substantiv
C1
state
2
bleak emptiness or ruin of a place
The condition of land or a place when it is empty, destroyed, or has no life or activity.
Tipar de utilizare:
the desolation of [a place]; in the desolation of [a landscape]; a scene of [desolation]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may try to use 'desolation' where 'desert' or 'wilderness' is better. 'Desert' is a type of dry land; 'desolation' is the empty, ruined, or lifeless quality of a place. Also, learners sometimes say *desolations* for different ruined areas; in modern English, this use is rare, and 'desolation' is usually uncountable in this sense.
Sinonime
devastation (Emphasizes destruction, especially by war or disaster; can sound slightly more physical and forceful than 'desolation'.)
|
wasteland (Usually refers to the ruined area itself, not the abstract state or quality of emptiness.)
Antonime
bustle (Highlights busy movement and activity instead of still, empty ruin.)
Colocații
bleak desolation
|urban desolation
|a scene of desolation
|the desolation of war
|the desolation of the desert
|the desolation left behind
Teme
environment
|disaster
|war
|travel
|nature
|housing
Exemple
- The once-busy factory now stood in complete desolation, its windows broken and its yard overgrown.
- Years of drought had turned the region into a landscape of desolation.
- They drove for hours through the desolation of the frozen tundra.
- The film opens with a shot of post-war desolation stretching to the horizon.
- She was shocked by the desolation of the abandoned mining town.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The village was empty, a picture of desolation.
- After the fire, there was only desolation where the houses had been.
- We walked through the desolation of the old factory area.
- War left desolation across the countryside.
- The desert’s desolation made them feel very small.
Substantiv
literary
C1
action
3
act of causing ruin or anguish
The act of bringing great damage to a place or great sadness to people.
Tipar de utilizare:
the desolation of [something]; bring desolation to [someone/somewhere]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use this abstract, literary sense when a simpler word like 'damage' or 'harm' is better in everyday speech. Also, they may confuse 'desolation' with 'desolation of duty' instead of 'desertion of duty'—these are different words.
Sinonime
ruin (More general and more common; can be financial, moral, or physical, and is less literary than 'desolation'.)
Antonime
restoration (Focuses on repairing or rebuilding what was damaged, the opposite process of desolation in this sense.)
Colocații
the desolation of war
|the desolation of disease
|bring desolation to
|spread desolation
|a time of desolation
Teme
war
|disaster
|history
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- The invasion brought desolation to villages that had been peaceful for centuries.
- Epidemics and famine spread desolation across the kingdom.
- The novel describes the moral desolation caused by greed and corruption.
- Few understood the full desolation that the policy would bring to the farming communities.
- Her sudden departure meant desolation for the small team that depended on her.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The war brought desolation to the whole country.
- The disease caused desolation in many homes.
- The storm’s power showed the desolation that nature can bring.
- His actions brought desolation to his family.
- The film shows the desolation that follows a great disaster.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
desolation
IPA
GB/dˌɛsəlˈeɪʃən/
US/dˌɛsəlˈeɪʃən/
Silabe și accent
des - ol - a - tion (4 silabe)
Stress on 3rd syllable (a)
Forme ale cuvântului
Noun
- Base: desolation
- Plural: desolation
Familie de cuvinte
Core family
desolate
adjective B2
Related words
desolately
adverb
Expresii
Nu există încă expresii asociate acestei intrări.