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

• barren
• desert
• desolation
• heath
• no-man's-land
• waste

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

The moon spent a few million years as a volcanic wasteland, covered with ongoing eruptions that spewed from mountains and even from the ground itself. —Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 8 May 2025

Sending an all-time Avs legend to a hockey wasteland in Tobacco Road came back to bite the burgundy and blue in about the worst way imaginable. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 May 2025

The darkly comedic play with music is set in the wasteland of a post-apocalyptic U.K., following the story of Montselier, the last surviving accordionist after civilization’s collapse. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 May 2025

The new season will pick up in the aftermath of Season 1’s epic finale, taking viewers on a journey through the wasteland of the Mojave to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 May 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