wasteland
Other forms: wastelands
A wasteland is someplace that's empty and desolate, with no sign of life or growth. An area may be a wasteland because of toxic materials in the soil, or due to climate conditions like strong winds.
You can't grow anything in a wasteland, despite all that open space — typically, the soil doesn't have enough nutrients for plants to survive. Sometimes a barren area with limited biodiversity is called a wasteland, though a few species do grow there. A neglected urban area, like an empty lot or a playground that's unused and in disrepair, might also be called a wasteland. T.S. Eliot's most famous poem, "The Waste Land," alludes to a wasteland from Arthurian legend.
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an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation
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Vocabulary lists containing wasteland
Learn these words from the persuasive essay by Kate Boehm Jerome (Inside: Level B, Unit 8). Here are our links to the selections of "Global Warnings": Handle with Care, Going Green with Cameron Diaz, Melting Away; Plant a Tree, The Legend of the Yakwawiak, Possum Crossing, The Tyger, Grand Canyon Speech Here are our links to the units of Level B: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A, Level B, Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary
In the fourth book of the Heroes of Olympus series, the Doors of Death must be found and closed. Rick Riordan uses these words to describe the demigods' adventures in the Underworld.