wasteland

noun

waste·​land ˈwāst-ˌland 

 also  -lənd

1

: barren or uncultivated land

a desert wasteland

2

: an ugly often devastated or barely inhabitable place or area

3

: something (such as a way of life) that is spiritually and emotionally arid and unsatisfying

Synonyms

• barren
• desert
• desolation
• heath
• no-man's-land
• waste

Examples of wasteland in a Sentence

The outskirts of the city became a grim industrial wasteland.

That part of the country is a cultural wasteland.

the vast wasteland of television

Recent Examples on the Web

In its place is a society whose remaining citizens are caught in a life and death struggle to stay alive in a wasteland born of rage and fear, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025

Today, the city is home to four wetland parks that look nothing like the wastelands there before. —Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Feb. 2025

Gaza has become a wasteland of ruins and rubble due to Israel's conflict with Hamas following the terror organization's surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023. —Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 24 Jan. 2025

The fate of his father and Silo offer an ominous blueprint for the story playing out across the wasteland in Silo 18, and time now ticks faster than ever for Juliet’s return. —Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wasteland

noun

waste·​land ˈwāst-ˌland 

1

: land that is not cultivated or not fit for the cultivation of crops

2

: an ugly often ruined place or area