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 the wasteland that Altadena has become, any sign of normal life is welcome. —Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025

In the wastelands of Kabul, where American largesse never quite bandaged the scars of the Soviet war. —Tim Golden, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2025

The United States was back to being a soccer wasteland, with no top-flight league and a laughing stock of a national team. —Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024

The series stars Ella Purnell as Lucy, a naive Vault Dweller who leaves the relative safety of her Vault to go out into the wastelands to find her father. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 1 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