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

• desert
• barren

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

Thus, IlluminatiPirate’s vision of a virtual wasteland created by and for bots is more plausible than ever. —Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 10 Sep. 2025

The shore of Flushing Bay has long been seen as a wasteland, a view that came true over the century in which New Yorkers dumped their coal ash and garbage there. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 9 Sep. 2025

In the wake of episodes that evoke a crawl across a wasteland, the conflict is resolved in favor of the major, in a beatific pianissimo. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Yet this stark environment is far more than a frozen wasteland. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wasteland

• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland
• motherland

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