1. areas of land that are barren, desolate, or not suitable for cultivation or habitation
Usage: plural form of wasteland
2. areas that have been devastated or made useless, especially by war, pollution, or neglect
Usage: often used metaphorically

Examples

• The nuclear accident turned vast areas into radioactive wastelands.
• Travelers crossed the frozen wastelands of the Arctic tundra.
• Urban decay had transformed the neighborhood into industrial wastelands.
• The drought created wastelands where crops once grew.
• After the war, the countryside was left as smoking wastelands.
• Conservation efforts aim to restore these environmental wastelands.
• The mining company left behind toxic wastelands when it departed.