wasteland
UK: ˈweɪstlænd | US: ˈweɪstlænd
n. an unused or uncultivated area of land, often barren or desolate
n. a place or state lacking vitality, purpose, or cultural value
The word "wasteland" combines "waste," derived from Old French wast (desolate) and Latin vastus (empty or desolate), with "land," from Old English land (ground or territory). Historically, it described barren or abandoned land, but its figurative use (e.g., T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land) expanded to symbolize spiritual or cultural desolation. The morphemes reflect a straightforward compounding of "waste" and "land," preserving their original meanings.
After the war, the village became a barren wasteland.
The industrial zone turned into a polluted wasteland over decades.
His mind felt like a wasteland after years of monotony.
The novel depicts a dystopian wasteland ruled by scarcity.
Conservationists aim to restore the wasteland to fertile soil.