as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops
with proper irrigation and fertilizer, they turned the desert wasteland into a fertile plain
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Recent Examples of wasteland
The new season takes viewers on a journey through the Mojave wasteland to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas, according to a Prime Video news release.
—
Greta Cross, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Once thought to be a desert wasteland following the nuclear explosion, Chernobyl has since become a surprising hotbed for wildlife.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The current target is filling the sports wasteland between the World Series and NFL playoffs.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025
In Dark Matter, a parallel-universe version of Chicago as a desolate wasteland is more obviously counterfactual—and thus less uncanny—than a parallel universe in which the main character’s wife had not given up her career as an artist to have children.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wasteland
Greta Cross, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Once thought to be a desert wasteland following the nuclear explosion, Chernobyl has since become a surprising hotbed for wildlife.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The current target is filling the sports wasteland between the World Series and NFL playoffs.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025
In Dark Matter, a parallel-universe version of Chicago as a desolate wasteland is more obviously counterfactual—and thus less uncanny—than a parallel universe in which the main character’s wife had not given up her career as an artist to have children.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wasteland
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasteland
desert
Noun
-
These tours pair expert local guides, distinctive accommodations, and exclusive access (think private temple visits in Japan or luxury desert camps in Morocco) with a focus on meaningful community impact.—
Josh Roberts,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
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Detroit would be wandering the desert if not for beginning its rebuild by picking Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson in the top six.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wasteland.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasteland. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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