desolation

[des-uh-ley-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of destroying or devastating land, population, community, etc.

   The war’s desolation of the land destroyed years of hard and hopeful work.

2. the state of being destroyed or devastated, as land, population, community, etc..

   The utter desolation of the Western Front was captured in unforgettable photographs.

3. dreariness; barrenness.

   The poet fashions a mood of desolation and despair in his works.

4. deprivation of companionship; loneliness.

   Some homesteaders could not endure the desolation of life on the prairie, and returned to the city.

5. sorrow; grief; woe.

   She was so deep in her desolation, we don’t know if our words of comfort reached her.

6. a desolate place.

   The town was once a desolation.

desolation

/ ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of desolating or the state of being desolated; ruin or devastation

2. solitary misery; wretchedness

3. a desolate region; barren waste

Word History and Origins

Origin of desolation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English desolacioun, dis(s)olacioun, from Late Latin dēsōlātiōn- (stem of dēsōlātiō ) “abandonment,” equivalent to dēsōlāt(us) desolate ( def. ) + -iōn- -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

“Let the guilty rejoice and go unpunished, and the innocent suffer ruin and desolation,” she replies.

From Los Angeles Times

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed "sadness" and "desolation" on X at the latest death.

From BBC

The people of the world saw their planet as the astronauts saw it - fragile and beautiful - shining in the desolation of space.

From BBC

She’s found the desolation isn’t limited to Grand Central Market.

From Los Angeles Times

But their bond, the way they help anchor each other, helps them face the desolation that seems to rise up from the very roads they clear.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anguish 
• despair 
• loneliness www.thesaurus.com
• misery 
• sadness 
• sorrow