Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Devoid of inhabitants; deserted.
 - adjective Barren; lifeless.
 - adjective Feeling, showing, causing, or expressing sadness or loneliness. synonym: sad.
 - transitive verb To rid or deprive of inhabitants.
 - transitive verb To lay waste; devastate.
 - transitive verb To forsake; abandon.
 - transitive verb To make lonely, forlorn, or wretched.
 
from The Century Dictionary.
- To render lonely, as a place or region, by depopulation or devastation; make desert; lay waste; ruin; ravage.
 - To overwhelm with grief; afflict; make very sorry or weary: as, his heart was desolated by his loss; your misfortune desolates me; to be desolated by ennui.
 - Solitary; lonely; without companionship; forsaken.
 - Overwhelmed with grief; deprived of comfort; afflicted.
 - Destitute; lacking.
 - Destitute of inhabitants; uninhabited; lonely; abandoned: as, a desolate wilderness; desolate altars; desolate towers.
 - Lost to shame; abandoned; dissolute.
 - Synonyms Companionless.
 - Forlorn, cheerless, miserable, wretched.
 - Abandoned, unfrequented, lonely, waste, wild, barren, dreary.
 
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Destitute or deprived of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; hence, gloomy
 - adjective Laid waste; in a ruinous condition; neglected; destroyed.
 - adjective Left alone; forsaken; lonely; comfortless.
 - adjective obsolete Lost to shame; dissolute.
 - adjective obsolete Destitute of; lacking in.
 - transitive verb To make desolate; to leave alone; to deprive of inhabitants.
 - transitive verb To lay waste; to ruin; to ravage.
 
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective   
Deserted anddevoid ofinhabitants . - adjective   
Barren andlifeless . - adjective   
Made unfit forhabitation oruse . - adjective   
Dismal ordreary . - adjective   
Sad ,forlorn andhopeless . - verb   To 
deprive of inhabitants. - verb   To 
devastate orlay waste somewhere. - verb   To 
abandon orforsake something. - verb To make someone sad, forlorn and hopeless.
 
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
 - verb reduce in population
 - adjective providing no shelter or sustenance
 - adjective crushed by grief
 - verb cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
 
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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'_Yet shall he confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in half a week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease: and upon a wing of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that which is determined be poured upon the desolate_.'
Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John Isaac Newton 1684
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You'll learn how progress is being made to teach villagers in desolate regions where water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to conserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm culture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth.
A driving tour from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque: Part Two 2009
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You'll learn how progress is being made to teach villagers in desolate regions where water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to conserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm culture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth.
A driving tour from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque: Part Two 2009
 - 
								
You'll learn how progress is being made to teach villagers in desolate regions where water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to conserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm culture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth.
A driving tour from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque: Part Two 2009
 - 
								
You'll learn how progress is being made to teach villagers in desolate regions where water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to conserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm culture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth.
A driving tour from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque: Part Two 2009
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A real anomie zone, but possessed with a certain desolate beauty.
Ballardian » The 032c Interview: Simon Reynolds on Ballard, part 2 2009
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They are organized via radio communication and strike in desolate areas.
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They are organized via radio communication and strike in desolate areas.
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They are organized via radio communication and strike in desolate areas.
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They are organized via radio communication and strike in desolate areas.
 
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