1.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. Feeling, showing, causing, or expressing sadness or loneliness. See Synonyms at sad .
tr.v. (-lāt′) 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 dēsōlātus , past participle of dēsōlāre , to abandon : dē- , de- + sōlus , alone; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots .]
des′o·late·ly adv.
des′o·late·ness n.
des′o·lat′er , des′o·la′tor n.
