desolation

American  

[des-uh-ley-shuhn] / ˌdɛs əˈleɪ ʃən /

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.

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desolation British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of desolation

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. )

Related Words

• anguish
• despair
• loneliness
• misery
• sadness
• sorrow