I. ˈdes]ələ̇t also -ez ] sometimes ]lə̇t; usu -ə̇d.+V adjective
Etymology: Middle English desolat, from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare to abandon, desert, from de from, away + -solare (from solus alone) — more at de- , sole
1. : devoid of inhabitants and visitors : deserted , abandoned
a desolate ghost town
2. obsolete
a. : destitute
b. : lacking goodness : dissolute
3.
a. : bereaved, forsaken, or abandoned especially of or by one very dear and consequently inconsolable and crushed by grief
this lady leaning at her window desolate , pouring out her abandoned heart — George Meredith
b. : joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through some separation, destitution, or grief
depressed and desolate of soul … and filled with anxious fear — William Wordsworth
c. : expressing or arising from such grief or sorrow
a low desolate wail which made the terrible scream seem only the quick expression of an endless grief — Bram Stoker
4.
a. : showing the effects of abandonment and neglect : ruined, dilapidated
a desolate old house with sagging floors and broken shutters
b. : devoid of anything suggesting or furthering life : lifeless , barren , stark
passing through a desolate once-wooded area that had been ravaged by fire
desolate with crags and alkali — American Guide Series: California
the empty, desolate , endless waste — O.E.Rölvaag
c. : devoid of anything cheering, comforting, or suggesting warmth, comfort, pleasant human relations, or hope : disheartening , cheerless
the stormy howling of the wind in that avenue of great trees at night was wild and desolate — Thomas Wolfe
a desolate memory of the sterile idle life I had lived — Edmund Wilson
this wild, desolate lake … a very picture of unbroken solitude — John Burroughs
Synonyms: see alone , dismal
II. ]əˌlāt, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English desolaten, from Latin desolatus deserted, past participle of desolare to abandon, desert
: to make desolate:
a. : to deprive partially or wholly of inhabitants : depopulate
the mines never again operated, and three townships in the vicinity were desolated — American Guide Series: Vermont
b. : to lay waste : ravage
Hitler desolated British cities with bombs — F.L.Allen
also : to leave in a ruinous or barren state
boulders left by mining operations desolate the valley
c. : to forsake or leave alone — used in the past participial form
the bulletin board listing casualties was haunted by desolated wives
d. : to rob of joy and contentment ; especially : to leave grief-stricken and wretched
so obsessed with gambling that they ruin their own lives, desolate their families, and alienate their friends — C.B.Davis