wasteland

noun waste·land \ ˈwāst-ˌland also -lənd \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of wasteland

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

See wasteland defined for English-language learners

See wasteland defined for kids

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 of wasteland from the Web

Back Caption Options Close Settings Language English Font Size Small Medium Large Position Auto Bottom Top Sample Caption Text 0:00 0:00 0:00 The wasteland isn’t all fun and games though.

— lincoln michel, GQ, "Turbo Kid Is the Blood-Soaked '80s Homage You Can Stream on Netflix," 14 Apr. 2018
The year is 2045, and the world is an overpopulated wasteland; in Columbus, Ohio, the fastest-growing city on Earth, people live in shipping containers stacked on top of each other.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Ready Player One Is a Mile Wide and a Pixel Deep," 29 Mar. 2018
But for bees, a manicured lawn is a hellish wasteland filled with zero food or hope.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Don't Mow Your Lawn and Help Save the Bees," 21 Mar. 2018
Young chefs are also arriving, determined to shake the city’s reputation as a culinary wasteland.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Beyond the Basics: Berlin," 6 Mar. 2018
Some of the country's most historic cities and sites have been pummeled into wastelands of jagged masonry and rusted rebar — the detritus of lives destroyed in campaigns where siege tactics and indiscriminate attacks have become the norm.

— nabih bulos, latimes.com, "Seven years on in Syria: Nobody seems willing to stop the bloodshed," 14 Mar. 2018
But Louisiana is a teenage wasteland for college basketball.

— andrew lopez, NOLA.com, "Where does LSU baseball rank nationally after up-and-down week?," 12 Mar. 2018
Plus my tongue is a barren wasteland, scorched by near-boiling temperatures over the past week.

— aimee levitt, Chicago Reader, "Archive Dive / Food & Drink How Kevin Warwick learned to stop worrying and cultivate a coffee addiction, just like the rest of us," 7 Mar. 2018
Here’s what next head coach needs to lead 49ers from basketball wasteland] Hill and and Penn State deputy athletics director and chief operating officer Phil Esten were finalists for the position.

— david scott, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte 49ers turn to Florida Gators for new athletics director | Charlotte Observer," 28 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wasteland.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of wasteland

14th century

wasteland Synonyms

Synonyms

barren, desert, desolation, heath, no-man's-land, waste;

Related Words

badland;

brush, bush;

dust bowl;

open, open air, outdoors, out-of-doors;

nature, wild, wilderness;

WASTELAND Defined for English Language Learners

wasteland

noun

Definition of wasteland for English Language Learners

: land where nothing can grow or be built : land that is not usable
: an ugly and often ruined place or area
: something that is being compared to a large, empty area of land because it has no real value or interest

WASTELAND Defined for Kids

wasteland

noun waste·land \ ˈwāst-ˌland \

Definition of wasteland for Students

: land that is barren or not fit for crops

Learn More about wasteland

See words that rhyme with wasteland Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wasteland Spanish Central: Translation of wasteland Nglish: Translation of wasteland for Spanish speakers

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Definition of wasteland

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WASTELAND Defined for English Language Learners

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