des·o·late (d s  -l t, dz-)adj. 1. a. Devoid of inhabitants; deserted: "streets which were usually so thronged now grown desolate" (Daniel Defoe). b. Barren; lifeless: the rocky, desolate surface of the moon. 2. Rendered unfit for habitation or use: the desolate cities of war-torn Europe. 3. Dreary; dismal. 4. Bereft of friends or hope; sad and forlorn. See Synonyms at sad. tr.v. (-l  t ) des·o·lat·ed, des·o·lat·ing, des·o·lates 1. To rid or deprive of inhabitants. 2. To lay waste; devastate: "Here we have no wars to desolate our fields" (Michel Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur). 3. To forsake; abandon. 4. To make lonely, forlorn, or wretched. [Middle English desolat, from Latin d  s ltus, past participle of dslre, to abandon : d-, de- + slus, alone; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots.]des o·late·ly adv.des o·late·ness n.des o·later, deso·lator n. |
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