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scrubland

scrubland

1 6.6
An area of land covered with short bushes and grasses that is hard to farm
  • noun
  • /ˈskrʌbˌlænd/
translation icon : matorral
  • The scrubland was rugged and harsh, making it unsuitable for farming or large-scale agriculture.
  • coastal scrubland

Examples

  • The Carabinieri fan out into the surrounding scrubland with guns drawn, but after ten minutes they give up the search.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Early in the twentieth century, rural blacks in southeastern Florida clustered on farm or scrubland.

    Academic text (1992)
  • In contrast, less than 1 percent of scrubland or forest was slip-scarred by the storm.

    Academic text (1991)
  • After World War I, persons of all races were located on farms or in towns separated by fields or scrubland.

    Academic text (1992)
  • There may only be a dozen or a hundred lions in the coastal scrublands.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Empty scrubland surrounds them.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The increase in the extent of scrubland and woodland produced by the jays would also provide additional habitat for a range of endemic taxa.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Bantu farmer, left, oversees his field in the coastal scrublands of southern Tanzania.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The hikers trekked through the dry scrubland, surrounded by low shrubs and scrubby bushes.

  • Wildflowers bloom sporadically across the scrubland, adding color to the arid landscape.

Synonyms

bush
vsscrubland
  • Australian
180 3.7

Wild land with many small trees and thick plants far from towns

is narrower, focusing on low shrub areas unsuitable for cultivation
scrub
vsscrubland
29 6.2

Low, thick bushes and small trees that grow on dry land

is used for land characterized by poor soils rather than dense thicket form
bushland
vsscrubland
  • Australian
1 4.1

A wild area with bushes and small trees, often in Australia

is mainly shrub dominated without significant tree presence
brushland
vsscrubland
1 4.6

Land that has mostly bushes and very few trees

is used for land defined by poor farming suitability rather than mere cover
shrubland
vsscrubland
  • Specialized
4.6

An area covered mostly with low bushes and small woody plants

is used when the land is notably unsuitable for farming
heathland
vsscrubland
8.6

Open land with low bushes like heather and poor sandy soil

is broader, not limited to sandy soil or specific plant types

Antonyms

Land prepared and used for growing crops like wheat or corn

How Vegetated

forest
970 1.0
woodland
27 2.6
thicket
22 5.1
scrubland
1 6.6
grassland
20 2.7
barren
5 7.4

Surface Forms

scrubland singular
scrublands plural

Morphology

scrubland = scrub + land (transparent) = scrub + land

Direct compound of 'scrub' (low shrubs) + 'land' (area), meaning land covered with scrub; easily derivable by learners.

Etymology

Scrubland is made from scrub ('low bushes') and land ('ground'), so the word names land that is covered with short, rough shrubs. A helpful image is a wide, dry area where only small bushes grow and farming is hard, which is exactly what scrubland means.