Tending to cause or characterized by desolation; having the quality of producing emptiness, sadness, or abandonment.
From 'desolate' plus the adjective-forming suffix '-ive'. This suffix indicates tendency or capacity, so 'desolative' means having the quality of causing desolation.
While 'desolating' describes an active process, 'desolative' is more about inherent quality—it's the difference between 'actively making sad' and 'having the property of sadness.'
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