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1desolate adjective 1 : DESERTED, ABANDONED

2 : joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through separation from a loved one : LONELY

3 : DILAPIDATED

4 : BARREN, LIFELESS

5 : devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope : CHEERLESS

— des·o·late·ly adverb

— des·o·late·ness noun

Synonyms

[2] forlorn, lonely, lonesome—more at LONESOME

[5] bleak, cheerless, dismal, dreary, gloomy, glum, gray, miserable, wretched

2desolate verb -lat·ed; -lat·ing : to make desolate : destroy the activity, vitality, or sound condition or contentment of : make wretched

des·o·la·tion noun 1 : the action of desolating : state of being desolated

2 : the quality or state of being sad : SADNESS

3 : LONELINESS

4 : a condition of neglect leading to confusion and disintegration or of natural barrenness and bleakness

5 : barren wasteland

Synonyms

[1] annihilation, demolition, destruction, devastation, havoc, loss, obliteration, ruin, wastage, wreckage—more at DESTRUCTION

[4] dilapidation, disrepair, neglect—more at NEGLECT

[5] barren, desert, waste, wasteland—more at WASTELAND

des·oxy·ri·bo·nu·cle·ic acid noun : DNA

1despair verb : to lose all hope or confidence

2despair noun 1 : utter destruction of hope

2 : a cause of hopelessness

Synonyms

desperation, despondency, forlornness, hopelessness; also blues, depression, dejection, desolation, doldrums, dolor, dumps, gloom, melancholy, oppression, sadness, sorrow, unhappiness; cynicism, pessimism; acceptance, resignation

Antonyms

hope, hopefulness

de·spair·ing adjective : given to, arising from, or marked by despair : having no hope

— de·spair·ing·ly adverb

Synonyms

defeatist, hopeless, pessimistic—more at PESSIMISTIC

des·per·a·do noun, plural -does or -dos : a bold or reckless criminal

des·per·ate adjective 1 : being beyond or almost beyond hope : causing despair

2 : RASH

3 : extremely intense

— des·per·ate·ly adverb

— des·per·ate·ness noun

des·per·a·tion noun 1 : a loss of hope and surrender to despair

2 : a state of hopelessness leading to rashness

Synonyms

despair, despondency, forlornness, hopelessness—more at DESPAIR

de·spi·ca·ble adjective : deserving to be despised

— de·spi·ca·bly adverb

Synonyms

contemptible, lousy, nasty, pitiful, scabby, scurvy, sorry, wretched—more at CONTEMPTIBLE

base, contemptible, detestable, dirty, dishonorable, ignoble, low, mean, snide, sordid, vile, wretched—more at IGNOBLE

de·spise verb de·spised; de·spis·ing 1 : to look down on with contempt or aversion : DETEST

2 : to regard as negligible, worthless, or distasteful

Synonyms

[1] abhor, abominate, detest, execrate, hate, loathe—more at HATE

[2] disregard, flout, scorn—more at SCORN

1despite preposition : in spite of

Synonyms

notwithstanding, regardless of, with

2despite noun : the act of despising : CONTEMPT

de·spoil verb : to strip of belongings, possessions, or value

— de·spoil·er noun

— de·spoil·ment noun

Synonyms

loot, maraud, pillage, plunder, ransack, sack, strip—more at RANSACK

de·spo·li·a·tion noun : the act of plundering : the state of being despoiled

1despond verb : to become discouraged or disheartened

2despond noun : DESPONDENCY

de·spon·den·cy noun : the state of being despondent

Synonyms

blues, dejection, depression, desolation, doldrums, dumps, forlornness, gloom, heartsickness, melancholy, sadness—more at SADNESS

despair, desperation, forlornness, hopelessness—more at DESPAIR

de·spon·dent adjective : feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression

— de·spon·dent·ly adverb

Synonyms

brokenhearted, dejected, depressed, disconsolate, heartsick, miserable, sad, wretched—more at SAD

des·pot noun [ORIGIN: MF despote, fr. Gk despotēs master, lord, autocrat]

1 : a ruler with absolute power and authority

2 : a person exercising power tyrannically

Synonyms

autocrat, dictator, oppressor, tyrant; also dominator, master, overlord, ruler; king, lord, monarch, prince, queen, sovereign;