desolate

desolate
—desolately, adv. —desolateness, n. —desolater, desolator, n.
adj. /des"euh lit/; v. /des"euh layt'/, adj., v., desolated, desolating.
adj.
1. barren or laid waste; devastated: a treeless, desolate landscape.
2. deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited.
3. solitary; lonely: a desolate place.
4. having the feeling of being abandoned by friends or by hope; forlorn.
5. dreary; dismal; gloomy: desolate prospects.
v.t.
6. to lay waste; devastate.
7. to deprive of inhabitants; depopulate.
8. to make disconsolate.
9. to forsake or abandon.
[1325-75; ME < L desolatus forsaken, ptp. of desolare, equiv. to de- DE- + solare to make lonely, deriv. of solus SOLE1; see -ATE1]
Syn. 1. ravaged. 2. desert. 4. lonesome, lost; miserable, wretched, woebegone, woeful, inconsolable, cheerless, hopeless. DESOLATE, DISCONSOLATE, FORLORN suggest one who is in a sad and wretched condition. The DESOLATE person is deprived of human consolation, relationships, or presence: desolate and despairing. The DISCONSOLATE person is aware of the efforts of others to console and comfort, but is unable to be relieved or cheered by them: She remained disconsolate even in the midst of friends. The FORLORN person is lost, deserted, or forsaken by friends: wretched and forlorn in a strange city. 6. ravage, ruin. 8. sadden, depress. 9. desert.
Ant. 4. delighted, happy.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Desolate — Des o*late, a. [L. desolatus, p. p. of desolare to leave alone, forsake; de + solare to make lonely, solus alone. See {Sole}, a.] 1. Destitute or deprived of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; hence, gloomy; as, a desolate isle; a desolate… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • desolate — [adj1] unused, barren abandoned, bare, bleak, derelict, desert, destroyed, dreary, empty, forsaken, godforsaken*, isolated, lonely, lonesome, lorn, ruined, solitary, unfrequented, uninhabited, unoccupied, vacant, waste, wild; concepts 485,560 Ant …   New thesaurus

  • Desolate — Des o*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Desolated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Desolating}.] 1. To make desolate; to leave alone; to deprive of inhabitants; as, the earth was nearly desolated by the flood. [1913 Webster] 2. To lay waste; to ruin; to ravage; as, a …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • desolate — ► ADJECTIVE 1) giving an impression of bleak and dismal emptiness. 2) utterly wretched and unhappy. ► VERB ▪ make desolate. DERIVATIVES desolation noun. ORIGIN from Latin desolare abandon , from solus alone …   English terms dictionary

  • desolate — [des′ə lit; ] for v. [, des′əlāt΄] adj. [ME desolat < L desolatus, pp. of desolare, to leave alone, forsake, strip of inhabitants < de , intens. + solare, to make lonely < solus, SOLE2] 1. left alone; lonely; solitary 2. uninhabited;… …   English World dictionary

  • desolate — index barren, bleak (exposed and barren), derelict (abandoned), despoil, despondent, destroy (efface) …   Law dictionary

  • desolate — (adj.) mid 14c., without companions, also uninhabited, from L. desolatus, pp. of desolare leave alone, desert, from de completely (see DE (Cf. de )) + solare make lonely, from solus alone (see SOLE (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • desolate — 1 forlorn, lorn, lonesome, lone, solitary, lonely, *a!one Analogous words: deserted, forsaken, abandoned (see ABANDON): *miserable, wretched Contrasted words: cheerful, lighthearted, joyful, joyous, happy, *glad 2 *dismal, dreary, cheerless,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • desolate — adj. 1 empty and depressing VERBS ▪ be, seem, stand ▪ The house stands desolate and empty. ▪ become ▪ leave sth …   Collocations dictionary

  • desolate — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English desolat, from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare to abandon, from de + solus alone Date: 14th century 1. devoid of inhabitants and visitors ; deserted 2. joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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