wasteland

[ weyst-land ]

noun

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.

wasteland

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wasteland¹

First recorded in 1630–40; waste + -land

Example Sentences

Earlier this year, the actor starred in the first season of Prime Video’s Emmy-nominated post-apocalyptic video game adaptation “Fallout,” playing a sheltered young woman who ventures into a violent wasteland to save her dad.

From Los Angeles Times

I have been in only once, in the first month of the war, when Israeli firepower had already turned the areas of northern Gaza that I saw into a wasteland.

From BBC

The Dolphins are expecting to get Tua Tagovailoa back, and that could make a big difference after wandering through a quarterback wasteland.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump complained that the turbines would ruin golfers’ views and “turn Scotland into a Third World wasteland.”

From Los Angeles Times

The story of three young suburban wastrels looking for a way out of the American capitalist wasteland struck me as a luxury we can’t really afford at this hinge moment in history.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• desert
• swamp