desolate
desolate Lexical Profile
desolate Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness.
"The expedition crossed a desolate expanse of rocky tundra where few plants could survive."
Feeling or showing great unhappiness, loneliness, or grief; inconsolable.
"She felt utterly desolate after her lifelong friend moved to another continent."
• verb
To devastate or strip a place of inhabitants and vitality, leaving it barren and uninhabitable.
"Prolonged drought and soil erosion had desolated the once-fertile valley."
To make someone feel utterly wretched, lonely, or overcome with grief.
"He was desolated by the sudden loss of his mentor."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Desolate' is a heteronym whose pronunciation shifts by part of speech: as an adjective, the final syllable has a reduced vowel (/ˈdɛsələt/), whereas as a verb, the final syllable takes a secondary stress and long 'a' sound (/ˈdɛsəˌleɪt/).
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Latin 'desolatus', the past participle of 'desolare' meaning 'to leave completely alone or forsake', formed from the intensive prefix 'de-' and 'solus' ('alone').