Dictionary monolingual
English
Desolate
ˈdɛsələt
Common
~ 4500
~ 4500
The word frequency and importance index indicates how often a word appears in a given language. The smaller the number, the more frequently the word is used. The most frequently used words typically range from about 1 to 4000. This importance index helps you focus on the most useful words during your language learning process.
The word frequency and importance index indicates how often a word appears in a given language. The smaller the number, the more frequently the word is used. The most frequently used words typically range from about 1 to 4000. This importance index helps you focus on the most useful words during your language learning process.
Desolate -
Barren or empty, often suggesting a sense of bleakness or loneliness
Example: The abandoned house stood in a desolate field, surrounded by overgrown weeds.
Usage: formalContext: literary descriptions, formal writing
Note: This meaning is often used to describe landscapes or places devoid of life or activity.
Feeling or showing a complete lack of hope or happiness
Example: After losing her job and going through a difficult breakup, she felt desolate and alone.
Usage: formalContext: emotional expressions, literature
Note: This meaning is more about emotional despair rather than physical emptiness.
To leave someone feeling abandoned or forsaken
Example: His sudden departure desolated her, leaving her with a sense of betrayal.
Usage: formalContext: relationships, formal writing
Note: This meaning is often used in the context of personal relationships or betrayals.
Desolate's synonyms
barren
Barren refers to a place that is unable to produce much or any vegetation.
Example: The barren landscape stretched as far as the eye could see.
Note: Desolate often implies a sense of emptiness or abandonment, while barren specifically refers to a lack of fertility or vegetation.
bleak
Bleak describes a place that is cold, empty, and exposed, often with a sense of hopelessness.
Example: The bleak winter weather made the town feel even more desolate.
Note: Desolate can convey a feeling of abandonment or loneliness, while bleak emphasizes harshness and lack of comfort.
forlorn
Forlorn suggests a sense of sadness or loneliness, often due to being abandoned or neglected.
Example: The forlorn house stood at the end of the deserted street.
Note: Desolate can describe a place that is empty or uninhabited, while forlorn specifically conveys a feeling of being pitiful or abandoned.
empty
Empty describes a place that lacks occupants or contents.
Example: The empty warehouse felt desolate without any workers inside.
Note: Desolate can encompass a broader sense of abandonment or loneliness, while empty focuses on the absence of people or things.
Desolate expressions, common phrases
Desolate place
Refers to a location that is deserted, empty, and bleak.
Example: The abandoned village was a desolate place, with no signs of life around.
Note: It specifies a specific location rather than a general feeling of loneliness or abandonment.
Desolate landscape
Describes a barren and uninhabited natural environment.
Example: The desolate landscape stretched out for miles, devoid of any vegetation.
Note: It emphasizes the physical appearance of the surroundings rather than an emotional state.
Desolate soul
Refers to a person who feels deeply lonely, abandoned, or devoid of hope.
Example: After the loss of her loved one, she felt like a desolate soul, consumed by grief.
Note: It conveys a strong emotional state rather than just a physical state of emptiness or abandonment.
Desolate wasteland
Describes a devastated and desolate area that was once inhabited or thriving.
Example: The aftermath of the war left behind a desolate wasteland, with ruined buildings and no signs of life.
Note: It highlights the destruction and ruin of a previously lively area rather than just the emptiness.
Desolate and alone
Expresses a deep sense of isolation and abandonment, often in a distressing or vulnerable situation.
Example: Lost in the forest, he felt desolate and alone, with no one to turn to for help.
Note: It combines the feelings of emptiness and loneliness with a heightened sense of vulnerability or helplessness.
Desolate expression
Describes a facial expression that conveys deep sadness, loneliness, or hopelessness.
Example: Her desolate expression revealed the pain and sorrow she was trying to hide.
Note: It focuses on the outward display of emotions through facial cues rather than describing the overall environment or feeling.
Desolate cries
Refers to sorrowful or mournful sounds that convey a sense of loneliness or despair.
Example: In the quiet night, the desolate cries of the lost hiker echoed through the mountains.
Note: It emphasizes the auditory aspect of expressing sadness or despair rather than a visual or emotional description.
Desolate everyday (slang) expressions
Grim
Grim typically conveys a sense of seriousness, danger, or harshness in a situation.
Example: The mood in the room turned grim when news of the accident spread.
Note: Grim often implies a darker or more severe tone than desolate.
Dismal
Dismal is used to describe something that is dreary, depressing, or bleak.
Example: The rainy weather made the outdoor event seem dismal.
Note: Dismal emphasizes a sense of gloominess or sadness, while desolate may convey a feeling of emptiness or loneliness.
Despondent
Despondent describes a state of extreme discouragement, hopelessness, or despair.
Example: The loss left him feeling despondent and without direction.
Note: Despondent describes a more profound emotional state compared to the emptiness or isolation often associated with desolate.
Austere
Austere refers to something that is simple, plain, or lacking adornment.
Example: The austere room had only a bed and a chair, devoid of any decorations.
Note: Austere focuses on simplicity and lack of luxury or excess rather than the desolate feeling of emptiness or abandonment.
Desolate - Examples
The desolate landscape stretched out before us.
The town had a desolate feel to it.
The island was completely desolate, with no signs of life.
Desolate grammar
Desolate - Verb (Verb) / Verb, base form (Verb, base form)
Lemma: desolate
Conjugations
Adjective (Adjective): desolate
Verb, past tense (Verb, past tense): desolated
Verb, gerund or present participle (Verb, gerund or present participle): desolating
Verb, 3rd person singular present (Verb, 3rd person singular present): desolates
Verb, base form (Verb, base form): desolate
Verb, non-3rd person singular present (Verb, non-3rd person singular present): desolate
Syllables, Separation and Stress
desolate Contains 3 syllables: des • o • late
Phonetic transcription: ˈde-sə-lət
des o late , ˈde sə lət (The red syllable is stressed)
Desolate - Importance and usage frequency
The word frequency and importance index indicates how often a word appears in a given language. The smaller the number, the more frequently the word is used. The most frequently used words typically range from about 1 to 4000.
desolate: ~ 4500 (Common).
This importance index helps you focus on the most useful words during your language learning process.
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