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
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
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
In an environment that more closely resembles a post-apocalyptic wasteland than a functioning metropolis, 11-year-old Hamoudi (Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah) lives for soccer and idolizes Lionel Messi, the Argentine genius then playing for Spanish giants Barcelona FC.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024
The mall, across the street from City Hall in the Civic Center, was a wasteland, its walkways empty, the food court and most restaurants locked or boarded up.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Which is appropriate, of course, for a father and son’s journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
—Hazlitt, 23 Oct. 2024
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Erik Kain, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
In an environment that more closely resembles a post-apocalyptic wasteland than a functioning metropolis, 11-year-old Hamoudi (Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah) lives for soccer and idolizes Lionel Messi, the Argentine genius then playing for Spanish giants Barcelona FC.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024
The mall, across the street from City Hall in the Civic Center, was a wasteland, its walkways empty, the food court and most restaurants locked or boarded up.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Which is appropriate, of course, for a father and son’s journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
—Hazlitt, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wasteland
Dictionary Entries Near wasteland
Cite this Entry
“Wasteland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wasteland. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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