Definition of wastelandnext
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops with proper irrigation and fertilizer, they turned the desert wasteland into a fertile plain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wasteland The film also contains allegations that Israel is systematically destroying homes in Gaza to create a wasteland that will prevent Palestinians from ever returning. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026 They have been spared the fate of the surrounding Shia Muslim villages that now resemble a wasteland. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 The neighborhood was a cultural wasteland at the time, but a crop of new gallery openings hinted at potential. — Derek C. Blasberg, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 Supposedly posing a threat to their idyll on the outskirts are various marauding splinter groups running amok through the barren wasteland of the American Mountain West. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wasteland
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasteland
desert
Noun
  • Wright designed the residence in 1937 as his winter home and studio, imagining it as a desert camp that emerged from the arid grounds.
    — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Brooke has arrived back at the family homestead in the California desert on Christmas Eve, bearing copies of her manuscript like a sinister Santa Claus.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wasteland.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasteland. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster