# wasteland

/ˈweɪstˌɫænd/ (US) · /wˈeɪstlənd/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. devastated or barren land

noun · CEFR B2

an empty area of land where nothing grows or where everything has been destroyed.

For teachers: a barren, often devastated region that is uninhabitable or lacks natural resources.

- After the long drought, the once green fields turned into a dusty wasteland.
- The treaty created a buffer zone that, after decades of neglect and conflict, had become a desolate wasteland where few species could survive.

### 2. metaphorical lack of quality

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary

a place, time, or situation that has no new ideas, culture, or interest.

For teachers: a metaphorical void characterized by a lack of intellectual, aesthetic, or cultural merit.

- He complained that modern television had become a cultural wasteland of reality shows.
- Critics often dismissed the mid-century architectural period as an aesthetic wasteland, though modern scholars have recently begun to re-evaluate its functionalist merits.

### 3. unused urban land

noun · CEFR B2

an area of land in a city that is not being used and is often ugly or covered in trash.

For teachers: an area of urban or industrial land that is currently uncultivated, neglected, or derelict.

- The kids used the urban wasteland behind the factory as a makeshift playground.
- The city council proposed a redevelopment plan to transform the industrial wasteland along the river into a vibrant public park.

## Examples

- The old factory site is now a gray wasteland.
- After the chemical spill, the once-lush forest was transformed into a toxic wasteland where no wildlife could survive.
- Critics often dismissed the early days of television as a vast cultural wasteland, arguing that the medium prioritized mindless entertainment over educational or artistic substance.

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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.