Spanish Conversation · Level 76
60 words
Spanish word
desolación
Pronunciation
IPA/desolaˈθjon/
Meaning
- feminine noundespair
Example
Después de perder el trabajo, vivía en desolación.
After losing his job, he lived in despair.
More examples
Tras el incendio, el paisaje era una desolación.
After the fire, the landscape was desolate.
Core concept
A lone person standing in a silent, ruined town.
Common phrases
sentir desolación
feel despair
profunda desolación
profound despair
estado de desolación
state of despair
Similar words
tristeza: Gentle sadness with low energy and a lingering lack of cheer.
soledad: Loneliness that involves being alone and emotionally cut off from others.
angustia: Acute, suffocating anxiety that causes chest tightness and urgent distress.
desamparo: Helplessness from lacking help or resources and being unable to cope alone.
Definition in Spanish
Sensación profunda de desesperanza y pérdida de sentido, y por extensión la condición de un lugar abandonado y arruinado.
Word origin
From Latin desolatio via desolare (de- 'away' + solus 'alone'), originally 'to make empty' and later applied to emotional abandonment.
Usage tips
- In everyday speech desolación sounds strong and often appears in literature or disaster reports, while triste or estar triste cover milder sadness.