Desolate describes a place that feels empty, abandoned, and often sad or lonely. A desolate landscape might be a desert with no plants or water for miles, or an old ghost town where buildings stand empty with broken windows and streets covered in dust. When a place is desolate, it feels like life has left it behind.

The word can also describe how a person feels inside. Someone might feel desolate after losing a beloved pet or when their best friend moves far away. This emotional desolation is a deep sadness that makes you feel empty and alone, like nothing can comfort you.

You might read about desolate Arctic regions where only ice stretches to the horizon, or a desolate city street at 3 a.m. with no cars or people anywhere. The word carries a sense of bleakness and isolation. A park full of laughing children could never be called desolate, but that same park on a gray winter morning with broken swings and no one around might feel desolate indeed.

Related words include desolation (the state of being desolate) and desolated (made desolate), like a forest desolated by wildfire.