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
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
The question that hangs over the screenplay is not if Maddox’s desolation will metastasize into violence, but when.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolation
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
The question that hangs over the screenplay is not if Maddox’s desolation will metastasize into violence, but when.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desolation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolation
Noun
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Cuyama Badlands, Santa Barbara, California With four RV/tent sites, two dedicated RV spots and two tent-only sites, this desert moonscape is perfect for stargazers.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Matthew Tostevin What To Know The Line, the most ambitious piece of Neom, was unveiled as a pair of parallel 500-meter-tall skyscrapers stretching through the desert.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Many of those amenities were damaged during the pandemic and the years that followed as the building slid into disrepair and units were taken over by squatters and open drug sales.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
11 July 2025
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But many of those Gilded Age mansions had sunk into disrepair by the 1970s and were lost to fire, neglect or demolition.—
JC Reindl,
Freep.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
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Advertisement The answering note to its prevailing ironic treatment of Sir Walter is of course the melancholy and hint of regret that suffuse much of the novel’s tone.—
Brandon Taylor,
Time,
17 July 2025
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Over a balmy, slowly dissipating summer, nothing really pushes or pulls our aimless hero in either direction, and in this state of happy stagnation, melancholy becomes a comfort blanket.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
9 July 2025
Noun
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Hopefully the residents of Hawkins will have peace in the end — but not before more destruction.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
16 July 2025
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Video footage of the waterspout and photos of the destruction at Paw Paw Point were reviewed and verified by the NWS.—
Todd Karpovich,
Baltimore Sun,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Research has shown that women who have higher anxiety and depression often show signs of inflammation and elevated stress hormones, which can lead to poorer outcomes.—
Michelle Marchante
July 25,
Miami Herald,
25 July 2025
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The National Hurricane Center continued Friday to track a low pressure system in the Gulf and said in its 8 p.m. advisory that development into the season’s next tropical depression or storm is no longer expected.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The bacteria causing havoc for summer swimmers include E.coli and Enterococcus — nasty germs often found in the feces of people and animals.—
Shreya Srinivasan,
NBC news,
3 July 2025
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Cilic was never in the contest because of a foot blister that was causing havoc with pain and movement, something that was imperative against the balletic Federer.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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Now, with the Airbnb officially canceled, Friend A insisted she should be held fully responsible for the loss.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
26 July 2025
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Analysts predict further job losses in the auto industry if the tariff policy continues.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
Freep.com,
26 July 2025
Noun
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Lamm, Colossal’s CEO, told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria last month that the biotechnology Colossal develops will be used to help rescue animals on the brink of extinction as well as those that have already disappeared.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
9 July 2025
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Within 150 years, the Moa was gone, hunted to extinction.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolation. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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