Synonyms of desolate
120 similar words · 5 opposite words
Another word for desolate is desert. Other synonyms of desolate are vacant, deserted, forsaken, derelict and unoccupied. The opposite of desolate is inhabited.
Synonyms and similar words for desolate
adjectiveDeserted and devoid of inhabitants.
- peoplelessHaving no people; uninhabited.
- uninhabited
- abandoned
- derelictGiven up by the guardian or owner; abandoned, forsaken.
- desertUsually of a place: abandoned, deserted, or uninhabited.
- desertedAbandoned, without people.
- discarded
- dropped
- forlornAbandoned, deserted, left behind.
- forsakenDeserted; abandoned.
- high and dryAbandoned, stranded, helpless.
- left behindA usually socially conservative member of the working class whose income is stagnating or falling in purchasing power.
- orphanedAbandoned.
- beinglessDevoid of living beings; uninhabited.
- howling literary
- inhabitantlessLacking inhabitants; uninhabited.
- lifelessUninhabited, or incapable of supporting life.
- solitaryNot inhabited or occupied; without signs of inhabitants or occupation; desolate; deserted.
- tenantlessLacking a tenant; unoccupied.
- unoccupiedNot inhabited, especially by a tenant.
- unpeopledNot inhabited by people.
- unpopulatedUninhabited, having no residents.
- untenantedNot leased to or occupied by a tenant; unoccupied.
- vacantNot occupied; empty.
- disinhabited obsoleteUninhabited.
- inhabited obsoleteHaving inhabitants; lived in.
- unhabited archaicUninhabited.
- wasteful obsoleteUninhabited, desolate.
adjectiveMade unfit for habitation or use because of neglect, destruction etc.
adjectiveDismal or dreary.
- bleakUnhappy; cheerless; miserable; emotionally desolate.
- gloomySuffering from gloom; melancholy; dejected.
- cheerlessDevoid of cheer; gloomy.
- comfortlessOf a thing: offering no comfort; uncomforting.
- darkConducive to hopelessness; depressing or bleak.
- moroseSullen, gloomy; showing a brooding ill humour.
- depressingCausing depression or sadness.
- direExpressing bad consequences: dreadful; dismal.
- disconsolateCheerless, dreary.
- dismalCausing despair; gloomy and bleak.
- dolefulFilled with grief, mournful, bringing feelings of sadness.
- dolesomeCharacterised or marked by sorrow and grief; doleful; dismal; gloomy.
- drearDreary.
- drearisomeCharacterised or marked by dreariness.
- drearyDrab; dark, colorless, or cheerless.
- dreich UK, dialectalBleak, cheerless, dismal, dreary, miserable.
- gaylessLacking gaiety; gloomy; somber; drab.
- grayDreary, gloomy, cloudy.
- gloomsomeCharacterised or marked by gloom.
- grimDismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding.
- joylessWithout joy; unhappy, sad.
- lack-laughterCheerless; sombre; serious.
- lugubriousGloomy, mournful or dismal, especially to an exaggerated degree.
- melancholyAffected with great sadness or depression.
- mirthlessLacking mirth; devoid of joy; sad.
- miserableOf the weather, extremely unpleasant due to being cold, wet, overcast, etc.
- no joke
- saturnineOf a setting: depressing, dull, gloomy.
- somber
- sombreDark; gloomy; shadowy, dimly lit.
- spiritlessLacking energy, drive, motivation or emotion. Enervated.
- sullenGloomy; dismal; foreboding.
- sunlessDreary, cheerless.
- uncheerfulNot cheerful.
- uncheeryNot cheery; gloomy, pessimistic.
- unhappy
- unmerryNot merry, the opposite of merry; sad, gloomy.
- wintryChilling, cheerless.
- woeful
- solemn obsoleteCheerless, gloomy, sombre.
adjectiveSad, forlorn and hopeless.
- sorrowful
- atrabiliary
- atrabilious
- blitheless
- dispiritedWithout energy, gusto or drive, enervated, without the will to accomplish, disheartened.
- blue
- bummed outDepressed, disappointed, in a gloomy mood.
- chapfallenCrestfallen, dejected.
- chopfallenSynonym of chapfallen.
- crestfallen
- cut up Australia, UK
- damp figuratively
- dejectedSad and dispirited.
- depressed
- despondentIn low spirits from loss of hope or courage.
- disgruntledIn a dissatisfied, frustrated, or upset mood; in a bad temper or ill humour.
- disheartenedDiscouraged, despairing.
- down
- down in the dumpsSad; lacking engagement or enthusiasm.
- down in the mouthSad or discouraged, especially as indicated by one's facial appearance.
- downcast
- downheartedSad, discouraged, in low spirits, unhappy, having no hope.
- downsomeLow-spirited; melancholy.
- dull
- elegiac
- elegiousMelancholy, miserable, plaintive.
- glumDespondent; moody; sullen.
- grief-strickenVery sad.
- grievingFeeling or showing sorrow or distress due to loss, especially the death of someone.
- heavy-heartedSad, melancholic.
- heartsoreHeartsick.
- heartsickVery despondent or sorrowful; heartsore.
- inconsolableNot consolable; unable to be consoled or comforted, usually due to grief, disappointment, or other distress.
- infelicitous
- jawfallen
- lachrymoseTearful, sorrowful, sad, pertaining to tears, weeping, causing tears or crying.
- low
- low-spiritedDisheartened, feeling low, in low spirits.
- melancholic
- moodyDour, gloomy or brooding.
- mopeyGiven to moping; in a depressed condition, low in spirits; lackadaisical.
- mournful
- plaintiveSounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
- Plutonian
Opposite of desolate
adjectiveDeserted and devoid of inhabitants.
adjectiveBarren and lifeless.
adjectiveDismal or dreary.
adjectiveSad, forlorn and hopeless.
- comfortingGiving comfort, especially in the sense of soothing distress.
Meaning of desolate
- adjective Deserted and devoid of inhabitants.
- adjective Barren and lifeless.
- adjective Made unfit for habitation or use because of neglect, destruction etc.
desolate in other languages
Questions about synonyms of desolate
- What is another word for desolate?
- Desolate has 120 synonyms on Word.ws, such as desert, vacant, deserted, forsaken, derelict, unoccupied, forlorn and orphaned.
- What is the opposite of desolate?
- The opposite of desolate is inhabited. Other antonyms of desolate are populated.
- What does desolate mean?
- Desolate means deserted and devoid of inhabitants.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: desolate (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of desolate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/desolate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.