wasteland

[ weyst-land ]

/ ˈweɪstˌlænd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wasteland ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

land that is uncultivated or barren.

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

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

Nearby words

waste product, waste well, wastebasket, wasted, wasteful, wasteland, wastelot, wastepaper, wastepaper basket, waster, wastewater

Origin of wasteland

First recorded in 1630–40; waste + -land

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wasteland

He took a time period that was a wasteland and gave it intelligence, wit, and consistent humor.
The King Abdicates From Late-Night Nation|Tom Shales|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He might just save his regime, even if he rules little more than a wasteland filled with corpses.
The Coalition of the Unwilling|Christopher Dickey|September 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The inaugural addresses of the presidents are, for the most part, a wasteland of howling rhetoric and dried-out inspiration.
Why Inaugural Speeches Fail|David Frum|January 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Pompeii is at risk of becoming a wasteland as its ruins disintegrate to dust due to lack of maintenance.
Italy’s Culture Falling to Ruins Amid Austerity Cuts|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Despite being a heavily patrolled police state, Iran has long borders that stretch across mountains and wasteland.
Are Israeli Agents Assassinating Iranian Scientists? A New Book Argues|Dan Raviv, Yossi Melman|July 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Confederate force was already starting withdrawal, battery by battery, as the wasteland of the fire lighted them on their way.
Ride Proud, Rebel!|Andre Alice Norton
They walked for two hours, the Disan setting a cruel pace, before they reached a wasteland of jumbled rock.
Planet of the Damned|Harry Harrison
Our world of Rajj is a wasteland where once we and our fellows lived.
Brood of the Dark Moon|Charles Willard Diffin
Our whole Northern Hemisphere, where our greatest nations were, was devastated; much of it is wasteland to this day.
Uller Uprising|Henry Beam Piper, John D. Clark and John F. Carr
Victorious feudal lords induced farmers to come to their territory and to cultivate the wasteland.
A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.]|Wolfram Eberhard

British Dictionary definitions for wasteland

wasteland

/ (ˈweɪstˌlænd) /

noun

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

a region, period in history, etc, that is considered spiritually, intellectually, or aesthetically barren or desolateAmerican television is a cultural wasteland

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012