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
But Joao Felix, whose miss means Portugal are out, is a picture of desolation — hands on head, shirt in mouth.
—
Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 9 July 2024
Drama, comedy, romance, elation and desolation are all fluidly threaded into the story, as are tunes that range from humorous numbers to intimate expressions of solitude to rousing reaffirmations of solidarity in challenging circumstances.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Singing with heartbreaking sweetness of both familiar desolation and fresh hope, Pratt’s voice remains the music’s animating spirit.
—Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
Its peaceful stillness and silence can become desolation, and its beautiful bleakness a portent of doom.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 9 July 2024
Drama, comedy, romance, elation and desolation are all fluidly threaded into the story, as are tunes that range from humorous numbers to intimate expressions of solitude to rousing reaffirmations of solidarity in challenging circumstances.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Singing with heartbreaking sweetness of both familiar desolation and fresh hope, Pratt’s voice remains the music’s animating spirit.
—Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
Its peaceful stillness and silence can become desolation, and its beautiful bleakness a portent of doom.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
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Spring Training Highlights to Watch For Aside from the usual tune-up games, the Cubs' Spring Training schedule features some must-watch matchups: Cubs vs. White Sox Showdowns - The crosstown rivalry is alive, even in the desert.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
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Finding new plants in the desert is yet another uncommon feat, with the wooly devil only thriving in scarce locations alongside drought-tolerant shrubs like ocotillo, hedgehog cactus, and creosote.—
Lauren Thomann,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Many of the original cottages that in the 1960s and 1970s had housed visiting celebrities and friends of the three East Coast socialite owners seeking an out of the way escape were in tatters, having fallen into disrepair in the 1980s.—
Laurie Werner,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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America's national parks and other federal lands are in danger of falling into disrepair following the firings of thousands of federal employees by the current administration, experts said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In her new book, Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, Perry explores blue as a symbol of both hope and melancholy throughout Black history.—
Tonya Mosley,
NPR,
28 Jan. 2025
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The Elephant Man is an elegant picture, one of Lynch’s most straightforward and touching films—but even then, the joyful melancholy of its visual poetry is distinctly his own.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For the United States, high rates of job destruction—even if accompanied by faster productivity growth—could be devastating politically.—
Matthew J. Slaughter,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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The scale of destruction in Ukraine The Kyiv School of Economics puts the destruction Russia has inflicted on Ukraine at $155 billion, by replacement cost.—
Dave Lawler,
Axios,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The fear of deportation can lead to significant mental health problems for immigrants and their loved ones, ranging from conditions like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder to a loss of trust in others and social isolation.—
Kristina Fullerton Rico,
The Conversation,
19 Feb. 2025
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These symptoms were bad enough, but her neurological symptoms — including anxiety, depression, short-term memory loss, panic attacks and confusion — were worse.—
Farah Aziz Annesha,
The Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Protecting The Future Of 5G And AI The U.S. government has reported that Chinese nation-state threat actor groups have been causing havoc to U.S. critical infrastructure, including telecommunications services.—
Anand Oswal,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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For over a year, bird flu has caused havoc in the farming industry, leading to millions of dead birds and thousands of sick cows – and causing egg prices to run up.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Many Trump supporters have harbored anger toward Pence for certifying the 2020 presidential election that Trump attempted to overturn following his loss to Joe Biden.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2025
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However some countries experience losses exceeding 20%.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The deeper reason for the extinction event at USAID is Trump’s contempt for anything that looks like cooperation between the strong and the weak.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2025
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Megafauna extinction led forest understories to darken once again, with the model predicting a long-term increase in seed size as a result.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
18 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to desolation
Cite this Entry
“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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