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.

RELATED WORDS

swamp, desert, moor, marsh, badlands

Nearby words

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

Word Origin and History for wasteland

wasteland

1887, from waste (adj.) + land (n.).