wasteland

noun

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waste·land | \ ˈwāst-ˌland

also -lənd \

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

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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 Set far in the future in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear war in the year 2077, Earth's terrain has been warped into a harsh wasteland overrun by mutants. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Fallout TV series set at Amazon from Westworld creators," 2 July 2020 In other words, mining is directly converting almost a third of this lush forest into a wasteland. — Gladson Dungdung, Scientific American, "India's Coronavirus Refugees Are Also Development Refugees," 20 June 2020 To visualize the barren wasteland, filmmakers used the porous volcanic tufa towers in Mono Lake, California, and the eerie geothermal pools of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming as visual references. — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, "How the heck did Disney make 'The Lion King' feel so real? Your burning questions, answered," 18 July 2019 Far from being barren wastelands, deserts are biologically rich habitats with a vast array of animals and plants that have adapted to the harsh conditions there. — Christina Nunez, National Geographic, "Deserts, explained," 12 June 2019 After a decade in the political wasteland, members of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party have chosen a moderate, un-flashy lawyer as their new leader. — Olivia Konotey-ahulu, Bloomberg.com, "U.K. Labour Picks ‘Safe’ Keir Starmer as a Life-Raft in a Storm," 10 May 2020 Sometimes, television gets insulted as a vast wasteland or idiot box. — Freep.com, "TV during the COVID-19 crisis: What are we watching?," 8 May 2020 Antarctica has a reputation as a wasteland where no trees grow, and where few large animals roam, save for penguins and seals. — Matt Simon, Wired, "The Big (Yet Hidden) Consequences of Antarctica's Record Heat," 11 Feb. 2020 In the music video for the song, Gaga dances in a barren wasteland wearing all pink from head to toe, including her hair. — Gabi Thorne, Allure, "Lady Gaga's Pink Double Ponytail Is Giving Us Total Sailor Moon Vibes," 6 Mar. 2020

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.

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