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

This Lincoln Heights mom, wife and botanist has worked for three years to transform an ugly stretch of wasteland between Avenue 20 and the 5 Freeway into a lush native plant garden. —Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025

This hi-tech vehicle and mobile lab was piloted by a trio of young scientists and a talking chimp who scoured the wastelands of a future Earth looking for other survivors after a new Dark Ages had fallen due to extreme pollution and endless wars. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 1 May 2025

With too little carbon dioxide, Earth can become a frozen wasteland, and with too much, a sweltering inferno. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 16 Apr. 2025

Leicester find an unsubtle way to outdo them, their eighth home loss in a row without scoring a goal uncharted territory in English league history but wasteland, nonetheless. —George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 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