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
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
Mad Max is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that is at once striking and surreal.
—
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2025
Drafting and trades have been consistently solid, but free agency has been a wasteland of negative value.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
With his brow perennially furrowed and hair slicked with sweat, Riley has the exact look and bearing of a suavely addled wrong-man figure from British thrillers of yore — and thus makes a suitably bemused proxy for the viewers in this wasteland of mounting chaos and absurdity.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
In a week, nearly 1,000 students will be walking through the doors of Roxbury Prep, a new charter school that looks to be a catalyst for change in a neighborhood marred by the Mass and Cass opioid-addled wasteland.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wasteland
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2025
Drafting and trades have been consistently solid, but free agency has been a wasteland of negative value.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
With his brow perennially furrowed and hair slicked with sweat, Riley has the exact look and bearing of a suavely addled wrong-man figure from British thrillers of yore — and thus makes a suitably bemused proxy for the viewers in this wasteland of mounting chaos and absurdity.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
In a week, nearly 1,000 students will be walking through the doors of Roxbury Prep, a new charter school that looks to be a catalyst for change in a neighborhood marred by the Mass and Cass opioid-addled wasteland.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wasteland
Cite this Entry
“Wasteland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wasteland. Accessed 11 Sep. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share