Engelska

desolate

gb/dˈɛsəlɪt/ us/dˈɛsəlɪt/
B2 Engelska
~ 4600
Betydelser
0 betydelser
adjective B2 property
1

Empty and lifeless

Used to talk about a place with no people, plants, or activity.

Användningsmönster: [a place] is desolate
Vanligt misstag:
Learners sometimes confuse 'desolate' with 'isolated'. 'Isolated' means far from other places, but 'desolate' also means empty and lifeless.
Synonymer
barren (Focuses more on the inability to support life, especially plant life.) | bleak (Emphasizes harshness and lack of comfort in addition to emptiness.)
Antonymer
populated (Describes a place with many people living there.) | fertile (Describes land that can support abundant plant life.)
Ordkombinationer
desolate landscape |desolate area |desolate street |desolate plain
Teman
geography |nature |travel |core_vocabulary
Exempel
  • 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.
Exempel för inlärare
  • 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.

Användningsmönster: [someone] feels desolate
Vanligt misstag:
Learners may confuse 'desolate' with 'lonely'. 'Lonely' is common and neutral, while 'desolate' is stronger and more literary.
Synonymer
forlorn (Implies sadness with a sense of abandonment.) | heartbroken (Stronger focus on emotional pain from loss.)
Antonymer
comforted (Feeling supported or reassured.) | content (Feeling satisfied and at peace.)
Ordkombinationer
feel desolate |look desolate |emotionally desolate
Teman
emotions |psychology |core_vocabulary
Exempel
  • After the breakup, she felt utterly desolate.
  • He looked desolate when he heard the news.
  • The loss left him emotionally desolate for months.
Exempel för inlärare
  • 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.

Användningsmönster: to desolate [a place]
Synonymer
devastate (Often used for destruction caused by disaster or war.) | ravage (Implies severe and often violent damage.)
Antonymer
repopulate (To bring people back to live in a place.) | restore (To bring something back to a good condition or to life.)
Ordkombinationer
war desolated the city |desolated countryside
Teman
geography |history |core_vocabulary
Exempel
  • The hurricane desolated the coastal towns.
  • Years of drought had desolated the farmland.
  • War had desolated much of the region.
Exempel för inlärare
  • The fire desolated the forest.
  • The war desolated the city.
  • The storm desolated the island.
Grammatik
Grundform
desolate
IPA
GB/dˈɛsəlɪt/
US/dˈɛsəlɪt/
Stavelser och betoning
des - ol - ate (3 stavelser)
Stress on 1st syllable (des)
Ordformer
Adjective
  • Base: desolate
Verb
  • Base: desolate
  • 3rd Person Singular: desolates
  • Present Participle: desolating
  • Past: desolated
Ordfamilj
Forms
desolates verb desolating verb desolated verb
Core family
desolation noun C1
Related words
desolately adverb
Uttryck

desolate wilderness

1
/dˈɛsəlɪt wˈɪldɚnəs/
fixed phrase

Empty, lifeless natural area

An empty place in nature with no people or signs of life.

Exempel
  • 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.

Exempel
  • Her sudden departure left him desolate.
  • The news of the accident left them desolate.

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