(せきりょう)

せきりょう
noun
desolation; loneliness; solitude
1. desolation; loneliness; deep solitude
A profound sense of loneliness or emptiness; the feeling of being alone in a desolate place or state.
寂寥(せきりょう)(かん)(つつ)まれた。
I was enveloped in a feeling of desolation.
(あき)夕暮(ゆうぐ)れに寂寥(せきりょう)(かん)じる。
I feel a sense of desolation in the autumn twilight.
廃墟(はいきょ)には()いようのない寂寥(せきりょう)(ただよ)っていた。
An indescribable sense of desolation hung over the ruins.

寂寥(せきりょう) is a literary term for profound loneliness.

NUANCE:

  • More literary and poetic than (さび)しい or 孤独(こどく)
  • Often implies an aesthetic or contemplative quality
  • Associated with autumn, twilight, empty landscapes

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 寂寥(せきりょう)(かん): feeling of desolation
  • 寂寥(せきりょう)(つつ)まれる: to be wrapped in loneliness
  • 寂寥(せきりょう)(かん)じる: to feel desolation
  • 寂寥(せきりょう)(ただよ)う: desolation hangs (in the air)

RELATED WORDS:

  • 孤独(こどく): loneliness, solitude
  • 寂寞(せきばく): desolate silence
  • 哀愁(あいしゅう): sorrow, pathos