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 of wasteland

• 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

This leaves the mid-market trapped in a dangerous wasteland, forced into destructive promotional cycles to protect foot traffic without possessing the scale to survive thin margins. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 17 June 2026

In a few short decades every forest in Pennsylvania—and nearly the entirety of eastern North America—would be clear-cut and transformed into a wasteland of stumps. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026

Twilight’s Edward Cullen, first introduced in 2005, was the chivalric corrective to a wasteland of Girls Gone Wild–style masculinity. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026

Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 4 June 2026

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