# badlands

/ˈbædˌɫændz/ (US) · /bˈædləndz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/badlands
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. a dangerous area

noun · CEFR C2 · Informal · Literary

a part of a city or country that is dangerous because of crime or lack of laws.

For teachers: a metaphorical extension referring to a lawless, neglected, or dangerous region or urban district.

- In the movie, the hero has to survive in the urban badlands controlled by gangs.
- The journalist spent months reporting from the border badlands, where government authority was almost non-existent and smuggling was the primary economy.

## Examples

- The explorers traveled through the dry badlands for several days.
- The cattle rancher moved his herd to the high plains to escape the harsh conditions of the badlands.
- The fossil beds found in the badlands provide a unique window into the prehistoric ecosystem that once thrived in this now desolate and inhospitable terrain.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.