taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
Literary word describing a scene or atmosphere that is barren, lifeless, and emotionally cold. Often used with たる or として.
The winter wilderness was a desolate landscape.
His heart was bleak and he could feel nothing.
荒涼 also means desolate, but is more commonly used for physical barrenness, while 索漠 emphasizes emotional bleakness and is more literary.
寂寥 focuses on loneliness and quiet desolation, whereas 索漠 stresses dreariness and lack of warmth.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant kanji form; 索漠 is more common.
Rare variant kanji form.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 索 (search, rope) and 漠 (vague, desert) together convey a sense of vast emptiness and bleakness.