1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
his desolation after his twin brother died was incurable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desolation
The formerly high-end shopping destination, featured as a backdrop for a scene in a 1985 John Hughes movie, has more recently devolved into desolation.
—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
On Carve, despondency and desolation remain her default modes.
—
Colin Joyce,
Pitchfork,
21 Apr. 2026
The neighborhood/area While visitors are encouraged to tour Cockburn Harbor, South Caicos’s capital and largest settlement, the island’s appeal is its desolation.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
Ochoa’s snide speech about his privileged private school becomes a wrenching aria of desolation and need.
—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
On Carve, despondency and desolation remain her default modes.
—
Colin Joyce,
Pitchfork,
21 Apr. 2026
The neighborhood/area While visitors are encouraged to tour Cockburn Harbor, South Caicos’s capital and largest settlement, the island’s appeal is its desolation.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
Ochoa’s snide speech about his privileged private school becomes a wrenching aria of desolation and need.
—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
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Each room explores a different human emotion — joy and love, fear and hope, sadness and gratitude, anger and resilience.
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Working again with collaborators Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Shahzad Ismaily (Ceramic Dog) and joined by Nick Hakim and drummer Tom Skinner (the Smile), Orton uses The Ground Above to create weighty songs that deal with both joy and sadness.
Noun
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Nowhere has Hollywood left its mark quite like this desert town of 6,000 souls on the banks of the Rio Grande.
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There’s a perfectly worthy retelling of this story that approaches Los Angeles 1821 like Chinatown, one that delves deeply into the traditions of the people indigenous to the land as well as the early attempts to bring fresh water to this desert.
Noun
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Nearly a year ago, CBS Colorado reported on the home, which had sat vacant for more than six years while falling into severe disrepair.
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Rowland remained fond of Aurora and stepped in to fund the restoration of several buildings that had fallen into disrepair in the early aughts.
Noun
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Following years of economic devastation and underinvestment in public services, the country’s infrastructure – from hospitals to electricity and water – is ill-equipped to deal with a crisis like this.
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And then there's water damage and the devastation caused by flooding.
Noun
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Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.
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Don Hertzfeldt occasionally comes to mind for a similarly pervasive mood of questioning, philosophical melancholy.
Noun
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Rodríguez said authorities have recorded 862 aftershocks since the main quakes and confirmed that 189 buildings collapsed completely nationwide, the vast majority in La Guaira, the coastal state that suffered the worst destruction.
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Our previous card featured the fiery destruction of the Missouri Pacific depot in 1909.
Noun
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The pair went all the way down to a 43-mile-wide and 1,500-mile-long depression in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, known as the Challenger Deep.
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The victim's mother also addressed the jury, blaming Rullan for her son's depression and anxiety and describing the emotional toll the abuse had taken on their family.
Noun
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The beloved southern elephant seal, Neil the Seal, is back in Tasmania, causing havoc yet again and garnering fans through his antics.
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Those same issues have ships and planes on high alert in the Middle East, and the ongoing conflict across the region is causing havoc for civilian applications like ride-hailing and food delivery.
Cite this Entry
“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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