Desolate — Defs

01 a. Destitute or deprived of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; hence, gloomy; as, a desolate isle; a desolate wilderness; a desolate house.

1.
Destitute or deprived of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; hence, gloomy; as, a desolate isle; a desolate wilderness; a desolate house.
“I will make Jerusalem . . . a den of dragons, and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.” — Jer. ix. 11.

“And the silvery marish flowers that throng The desolate creeks and pools among.” — Tennyson.
2.
Laid waste; in a ruinous condition; neglected; destroyed; as, desolate altars.
3.
Left alone; forsaken; lonely; comfortless.
“Have mercy upon, for I am desolate.” — Ps. xxv. 16.

“Voice of the poor and desolate.” — Keble.
4.
Lost to shame; dissolute.[Obs.]
5.
Destitute of; lacking in.[Obs.]
“I were right now of tales desolate.” — Chaucer.

Syn. Desert; uninhabited; lonely; waste.

02 v. t. To make desolate; to leave alone; to deprive of inhabitants; as, the earth was nearly desolated by the flood.

imp. & p. p. Desolated; p. pr. & vb. n. Desolating

1.
To make desolate; to leave alone; to deprive of inhabitants; as, the earth was nearly desolated by the flood.
2.
To lay waste; to ruin; to ravage; as, a fire desolates a city.
“Constructed in the very heart of a desolating war.” — Sparks.