wasteland
noun
waste·land
ˈwāst-ˌland 
also -lənd
1
: barren or uncultivated land
a desert wasteland
2
: an ugly often devastated or barely inhabitable place or area
3
: something (such as a way of life) that is spiritually and emotionally arid and unsatisfying
Examples of wasteland in a Sentence
The outskirts of the city became a grim industrial wasteland.
That part of the country is a cultural wasteland.
the vast wasteland of television
Recent Examples on the Web
Thirty minutes south, on the Tennessee side of the border, Elon Musk has already begun transforming the industrial wastelands of South Memphis.
—
Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
From a luxurious Thai resort to a dystopian American desert wasteland, Walton Goggins reunited with a familiar face on this week’s episode of Fallout.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Season two finds us in trickier territory, with Goggins’s Ghoul and Lucy (Ella Purnell) chasing down Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) into the Mojave wasteland, the home of New Vegas, where the series’ most popular game installment is set.
—Jack King, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Drymon produces a colorful, witty wasteland that’s distinguished by the director’s impressive history and unique comedic flare as a storyboard artist.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wasteland
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Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
From a luxurious Thai resort to a dystopian American desert wasteland, Walton Goggins reunited with a familiar face on this week’s episode of Fallout.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Season two finds us in trickier territory, with Goggins’s Ghoul and Lucy (Ella Purnell) chasing down Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) into the Mojave wasteland, the home of New Vegas, where the series’ most popular game installment is set.
—Jack King, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Drymon produces a colorful, witty wasteland that’s distinguished by the director’s impressive history and unique comedic flare as a storyboard artist.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wasteland
Cite this Entry
“Wasteland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wasteland. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wasteland
noun
waste·land
ˈwāst-ˌland
1
: land that is not cultivated or not fit for the cultivation of crops
2
: an ugly often ruined place or area
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