uplands

noun

plural of upland
as in hills
an area of high ground the animals huddled on the upland as the floodwater rose

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of uplands Many hundreds of years ago, Hawaiians planted breadfruit, and the trees captured the spring water that flowed from the uplands, keeping the soil moist. — Julie Orringer, Travel + Leisure, 9 June 2026 This drought tolerant vine grows naturally on dry, sandy soils in pine forest openings and coastal uplands. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 May 2026 Today, the uplands are so broadly sunlit that most analysts say future interest rate cuts from the Fed are now likely pushed off into the far distance. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 11 May 2026 Farmers in the area are also vitally important to protecting the natural landscape, as parts of Swaledale and the surrounding uplands are designated as Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026 Coral barrier reefs protect beaches and uplands. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026 The National Park Service (NPS) explains that Grand Canyon National Park is located entirely within the state of Arizona and encompasses 278 miles of the Colorado River and its surrounding uplands. — Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 With an itinerary that can swing from luaus to local restaurants and misty uplands to deep-sea diving, Hawaii demands a packing list as versatile as the islands themselves. — Natalie Hammond, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026 Pygmy rattlesnakes are found near water and sometimes in rocky uplands, pine woods and glades, according to the TWRA. — Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uplands
  1. hills
  2. mounds
  3. highlands
  4. cliffs
  5. mountains
Noun
  • If Shift is seen as a static object, then its physical center lies between the two hills.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Big schools in the flatlands—that is, not the wealthy hills—were overcrowded and failing.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of hills
Noun
  • Stem cells, peptides, testosterone, pills, mounds of supplements just to keep everything balanced.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Settlers there were finding thousands of ancient Native mounds and earthworks, some bafflingly large.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of mounds
Noun
  • The orientation was the opposite in the old days, when all attention was directed to the highlands.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The houndstooth pattern, crafted with wool and cotton-blend, was wholly reminiscent of the Scottish highlands where the print originated, ideal for a day outdoors walking the grounds in early autumn.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of highlands
Noun
  • The kitchen, for example, had overhead cabinets that blocked the views of the cliffs and canyons of Topanga State Park, which stretches just beyond the living room and deck.
    — Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Other landscape shots look vivid and natural, properly reproducing red cliffs, blue skies, and opalescent geysers.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of cliffs
Noun
  • That creates an enormous range of possible eclipse trips, from the Mediterranean coast and the mountains of southern Spain to historic cities, archaeological sites and desert landscapes across North Africa.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • For the next 20 minutes, Hutzler flies at a leisurely 35 mph (56 kph) above the expansive fields around Pueblo, a city near the Front Range mountains.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of mountains

Browse Nearby Words

upland
uplands
uplift
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uplands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uplands. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of regimen

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All