–adj.
3. unhappy; forlorn; wretched: »
The hungry child looked desolate. The unemployed, by and large, are not the desolate-looking or acting lot of the 1930's (Wall Street Journal).
4. left alone; solitary; lonely: »
No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own (Longfellow).
SYNONYM(S): forsaken.–v.t.
1. to make unfit to live in; lay waste: »
The Vikings desolated the lands they attacked.
SYNONYM(S): devastate.2. to make unhappy or forlorn: »
We are desolated to hear that you are going away.
3. to deprive of inhabitants. SYNONYM(S): depopulate.
╂[< Latin dēsōlātus, past participle of dēsōlāre < dē- (intensive) + sōlus alone]
–des´o|late|ly, adverb.
–des´o|late|ness, noun.
Synonym Study adjective. 3 Desolate, disconsolate mean unhappy and forlorn. Desolate implies feeling left alone, deserted by everyone, or, especially, separated from someone dear: »
I was desolate when my mother died.
Disconsolate implies absence of hope, consolation, and comfort: »I was disconsolate when I lost my job and was unable to get another for several months.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.