wasteland
Americannoun
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land that is uncultivated or barren.
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an area that is devastated, as by flood, storm, or war.
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something, as a period of history, phase of existence, or locality, that is spiritually or intellectually barren.
noun
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a barren or desolate area of land, not or no longer used for cultivation or building
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a region, period in history, etc, that is considered spiritually, intellectually, or aesthetically barren or desolate
American television is a cultural wasteland
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of wasteland
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.
Vocabulary lists containing wasteland
"Handle with Care"
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Novel Study: Flesh & Blood So Cheap, Prelude–Chapter III
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The House of Hades
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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.
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
McCarthy, addressing ProPublica on Substack, wrote: “You point to various online guides that offer what could be considered dangerous dosing instructions. We agree, the internet is a terrifying wasteland of misinformation and disinformation.”
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2025
The service road cut through industrial wasteland and dead-ended at a strip mall.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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.
