desolate

/dˈɛsələt/ · 3 syllables

Meaning

adjective

1. providing no shelter or sustenance
   “bare rocky hills”
2. crushed by grief
   “depressed and desolate of soul”

verb

1. leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
   “The mother deserted her children”
2. reduce in population
   “The epidemic depopulated the countryside”
3. cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
   “The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion”

Synonyms for desolate

• bare
• barren
• bleak
• stark
• inhospitable
• inconsolable
• abandon
• forsake
• desert
• depopulate
• lay waste to
• waste
• devastate
• ravage
• scourge