‖Des″o‐late (?), a. [L. desolatus, p. p. of desolare to leave alone, forsake; de- + solare to make lonely, solus alone. See Sole, a.] 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. Chaucer.
5. Destitute of; lacking in.
I were right now of tales desolate. Chaucer.
Syn. — Desert; uninhabited; lonely; waste.