- the act of desolating or the state of being desolated; ruin or devastation
- solitary misery; wretchedness
- a desolate region; barren waste
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
des•o•la•tion /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- an act of desolating or the state of being desolated.
- devastation;
ruin:The desolation of the town was caused by one bomb. - loneliness:feelings of desolation now that their friends have moved away.
- sorrow;
grief;
woe:their desolation at the death of their dog.
des•o•la•tion
(des′ə lā′shən),USA pronunciation n.
- an act or instance of desolating.
- the state of being desolated.
- devastation;
ruin. - depopulation.
- dreariness;
barrenness. - deprivation of companionship;
loneliness. - sorrow;
grief;
woe. - a desolate place.
- Late Latin dēsōlātiōn- (stem of dēsōlātiō) abandonment, equivalent. to dēsōlāt(us) (see desolate) + -iōn- -ion
- Middle English 1350–1400
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
desolation /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/ n
'desolation' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):