wasteland

American  

[weyst-land] / ˈweɪstˌlænd /

noun

• wastelands
  plural

1. land that is uncultivated or barren.

2. an area that is devastated, as by flood, storm, or war.

3. something, as a period of history, phase of existence, or locality, that is spiritually or intellectually barren.

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wasteland British  

/ ˈweɪstˌlænd /

noun

1. a barren or desolate area of land, not or no longer used for cultivation or building

2. a region, period in history, etc, that is considered spiritually, intellectually, or aesthetically barren or desolate

   American television is a cultural wasteland

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• wastelands
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wasteland

First recorded in 1630–40; waste + -land

Explanation

A wasteland is someplace that's empty and desolate, with no sign of life or growth. An area may be a wasteland because of toxic materials in the soil, or due to climate conditions like strong winds. You can't grow anything in a wasteland, despite all that open space — typically, the soil doesn't have enough nutrients for plants to survive. Sometimes a barren area with limited biodiversity is called a wasteland, though a few species do grow there. A neglected urban area, like an empty lot or a playground that's unused and in disrepair, might also be called a wasteland. T.S. Eliot's most famous poem, "The Waste Land," alludes to a wasteland from Arthurian legend.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wasteland wastelands

It wasn’t long ago that cycling had fallen into a data-obsessed wasteland in which teams rode conservatively and winners seldom took risks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Those of us who languish in the academic wasteland are too tardy to lament, so little has changed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

It’s a surrealist painting in motion, the equivalent of staring at Salvador Dali’s wasteland of melting clocks until it makes gut-sense.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

She said rubbish was often dumped directly outside her door, on nearby steps and on surrounding wasteland, blocking drains and creating serious health risks.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

Jess turned and pointed to the wasteland all around them.

From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis

Bare-knuckle is the oldest form of boxing but became associated with unlicensed fights on wastelands after The Marquess of Queensberry rules were introduced in 1867, which insisted on gloves.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

In both public perception and official policy, savannas in India and elsewhere have often been labeled "wastelands."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2026

Multiple generations of Americans have been socialized to believe that a mecca of cheap, dirty pleasures awaits in the wastelands of southern Nevada.

From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025

The park has been in the works since 2010, when the Colombian government recognized the llanos — long viewed by the public as grassy wastelands — to be a conservation priority.

From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2024

At each halt a frozen, unbroken silence lay outside the steel walls of our box, the silence of vast wastelands, of the heights.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• desert
• swamp