Meaning of desolation

des•o•la•tion

1. an act or instance of desolating.
2. the state of being desolated.
3. devastation; ruin.
4. depopulation.
5. dreariness; barrenness.
6. deprivation of companionship; loneliness.
7. sorrow; grief; woe.
8. a desolate place.