desolateness

noun

Definition of desolatenessnext
1
as in melancholy

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2
as in bleakness

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolateness
  1. melancholy
  2. bleakness
  3. dreariness
  4. barrenness
  5. dejection
  6. nothingness
  7. oppression
  8. despair
Noun
  • The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • The bleakness of those far northern isles, the punishing, incessant wind, the wild beauty of the land and rugged coastline are unforgettably conjured alongside her inner struggle to stay sober.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The choice yields a brighter, richer, more varied and nuanced story in which coming-of-age tropes mingle with Gileadean bleakness to reveal new facets of a state premised on male supremacy.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
Definition of bleakness
Noun
  • Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race.
    — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
  • Days shorten, shadows lengthen, and the cold and dreariness of winter return.
    — Thomas A. DuBois, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
Definition of dreariness
Noun
  • But many assumptions that Stratos’ investors or Utah politicians might have had about Box Elder County – about either the acquiescence of its people or the barrenness of its landscape – have been proved wrong over the past few months.
    — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Shunammite, once so determined to get her period, is staring down the possibility of barrenness and, in Gilead, that means spinsterhood.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Definition of barrenness
Noun
  • In the space of a few paragraphs, Ned will abandon and recover his child, bungle an extramarital affair, win and lose, experience ecstasy and dejection.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Miller’s hands dropped quickly to his side in frustrated dejection.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of dejection
Noun
  • The stone never does talk to Larry, and Dillard ends that story by succumbing to her faith in the nothingness.
    — Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
  • For some of us, this is a very counterintuitive notion, as the notion of things existing within and moving through some form of empty nothingness just doesn’t make any sense.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 7 May 2026
Definition of nothingness
Noun
  • Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, had fought against Serbian oppression.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of oppression
Noun
  • Plath is shown not as a passive victim of despair, but as a brilliant intellectual and visionary poet.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Teacher of 19 years used to be able to help traumatized students without falling into despair.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of despair
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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desolated
desolateness
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Cite this Entry

“Desolateness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolateness. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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