1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
his desolation after his twin brother died was incurable
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in disrepair
the state of being unattended to or not cared for
the desolation of the abandoned garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in devastation
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the nuclear attack resulted in a scene of utter desolation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desolation
Visit the Less-Trafficked Side While the oceanside of Jockey’s Ridge’s claim to fame is the dunes, which mimic the desolation of the desert, the Roanoke Sound border of the park on the western side is just the opposite.
—
Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 30 May 2025
The photos below capture the desperation of people with nowhere to go, the absence of infrastructure to help them, the desolation of the empty desert.
—Lynsey Addario, The Atlantic, 12 May 2025
On a long album full of romantic vitriol and emotional desolation, songs in this mode provide brief eruptions of uplift — a necessary counterbalance.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 28 May 2025
As the survivors venture out and scramble back, the images oscillate between nervous claustrophobia and eerie, wide-open desolation; between the overly familiar and the radically strange.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 30 May 2025
The photos below capture the desperation of people with nowhere to go, the absence of infrastructure to help them, the desolation of the empty desert.
—Lynsey Addario, The Atlantic, 12 May 2025
On a long album full of romantic vitriol and emotional desolation, songs in this mode provide brief eruptions of uplift — a necessary counterbalance.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 28 May 2025
As the survivors venture out and scramble back, the images oscillate between nervous claustrophobia and eerie, wide-open desolation; between the overly familiar and the radically strange.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
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The press and social media were quick to throw dirt on Las Vegas, like the still-undiscovered holes in the desert holding the remains of deceased mobsters.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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So like travelers on the desert stretch between San Diego and Phoenix, Padres fans may want to enjoy a celebratory date shake.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Over the years, the plant fell into disrepair and was subject to vandalism and thefts of leftover metal.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
2 Aug. 2025
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Some had been in a state of disrepair for nearly a year.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
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More often than not, the film’s nostalgia is sweet and enjoyable because it is paired with the melancholy that comes from all the acknowledgments of the actors from the original who died over the last 29 years.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
Noun
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The man, a Mexican national, pleaded not guilty to assaulting a federal officer, assaulting a federal officer resulting in bodily injury and destruction of government property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
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According to the sprawling 109-page indictment, the suspects conspired to prevent the construction of an 85-acre Atlanta police training center by coordinating and carrying out acts of political violence, intimidation, and property destruction.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Forecasters said in an Aug. 18 advisory that environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form during the latter part of this week.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
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The hurricane center has already identified a tropical wave behind Erin that has a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression or tropical storm within the next seven days.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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As such, bright moonlight will flood the sky through most of that key night and will certainly play havoc with any serious attempts to observe these meteors.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Coach Mike McDaniel’s offense is operating at a fairly efficient rate and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s defense has a front seven that’s capable of creating major havoc in the run and pass games.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There are water shortages affecting agriculture in Texas, where the birds forage at turf grass farms; grassland loss and degradation in Paraguay; and in Colombia, conversion of forage lands to exotic grasses and rice paddies these birds cannot use.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Aug. 2025
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Frenk acknowledged this in the letter and claimed that the loss of such funding would be detrimental to his university and people throughout the country.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The hearty creatures, once systemically slaughtered by European settlers to the detriment of Native American tribes, are now grazing their way back from the brink of extinction.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
7 Aug. 2025
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Eighteenth-century naturalists debated the concept of extinction even as rattlers—like Native Americans—were driven out of existence in many areas via bounties, community-wide kill-a-thons, and militias.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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