Desolate \Des"o*late\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Desolated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Desolating}.] 1. To make desolate; to leave alone; to deprive of inhabitants; as, the earth was nearly desolated by the flood. 2. To lay waste; to ruin; to ravage; as, a fire desolates a city. Constructed in the very heart of a desolating war. --Sparks.