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

After a brutal escape, Arlen drifts through a wasteland populated by scavengers, bodybuilders and misfits—including a mute drifter known only as Miami Man (Jason Momoa) and a hedonistic cult leader called The Dream (Keanu Reeves). —Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025

Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war and there are fears of accelerating starvation. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 21 July 2025

Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the percussive undead. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025

Thanks to the oceans on either side of us, the frozen wasteland to the north, and a gentle behemoth to the south, no one thought much about having to defend our borders. —Stephen Marche, The Atlantic, 1 July 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