badlands
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of badlands
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; bad 1 + land + -s 3; translation of French mauvaises terres, alluding to the difficulty in traversing such country
Explanation
Badlands are a type of dry land where very few plants grow. Badlands can be found in South Dakota and Montana, among other places. The terrain known as badlands are often starkly beautiful, barren of vegetation but marked by layers of clay soil and patterned by the erosion of the wind. There are badlands in several different countries, including Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand, but some of the best known are in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The word badlands is a direct translation of the French term mauvaises terres.
Vocabulary lists containing badlands
Physical Geography - Middle School
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The United States
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Physical Geography - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It has since been donated to the Badlands Dinosaur Museum in Dickinson, North Dakota.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
Near the town of Interior: Parts of Badlands National Park depict the surface of an asteroid in “Armageddon,” starring Bruce Willis.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
"Predator: Badlands" from Disney's 20th Century Studios dropped from first to third place, taking in $13 million.
From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025
The Lamb Canyon and Badlands landfills in Riverside County also requested emergency waivers for an increase in tonnage.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2025
Number of bicyclists heading toward the Badlands of North Dakota: thirty to fifty.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
