badland

noun

bad·​land ˈbad-ˌland 

: a region marked by intricate erosional sculpturing, scanty vegetation, and fantastically formed hills

—usually used in plural

Examples of badland in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the course of his life, the 26th president of the United States regularly split his time between New York State and the rugged badlands of North Dakota. —Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 2025

Halsey might be welcoming fans back to the badlands, but that doesn’t mean people are allowed to have bad manners at their shows. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025

Does this explain, perhaps, why Hopkins would then traffic back and forth between the grand realms of British classical theatre and the badlands of the movies, over the years, with an ease denied even to Olivier? —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

In the badlands of eastern Wyoming, the Lance Formation is a trove of prehistoric fossils. —Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for badland

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

badland

noun

bad·​land ˈbad-ˌland 

: a region where natural forces have worn away the soft rocks into sharp and complicated shapes and where plant life is scarce

—usually used in plural