badlands

American  

[bad-landz] / ˈbædˌlændz /

plural noun

1. a barren area in which soft rock strata are eroded into varied, fantastic forms.

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badlands British  

/ ˈbædˌlændz /

plural noun

1. any deeply eroded barren area

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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.

Example Sentences

It’s also Robby’s final day of work before embarking on a three-month motorcycle road trip set to take him from Pittsburgh to the Canadian badlands.

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2026

"The badlands in Wyoming where the finds were made is a unique 'mummy zone' that has more surprises in store from fossils collected over years of visits by teams of university undergrads."

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

In the summer of 2022, two boys hiking with their father and a 7-year-old cousin in the North Dakota badlands came across some large bones poking out of a rock.

From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2024

Photographers rise early and take their four-wheel-drive vehicles up a four-mile dirt road to catch the sunrise badlands panorama from Font’s Point.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2023

To Beowulf—perhaps because of his short sight—hall Heorot appeared even brighter than it was, and the badlands darker.

From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye