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waste

waste

5 5.6
Empty, bare land with little life and few people
  • adjective
  • /weɪst/
: desolado
  • They trekked through the waste, finding nothing but barren land and silence.

Examples

  • Despite its beauty, the remote area was a waste, devoid of any inhabitants.

  • The once vibrant landscape was now a waste, abandoned and desolate.

  • The man was long, wasted, and shaggy.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Swiftly, no wasted motion, it grabbed the scruff of Sebastian's neck, yanked him up off the pillow, and dropped him on the floor next to the bed.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • I’d seen my mother-in-law, wasted and lifeless as a burned forest, clinging to her intolerable life.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Two Russian prisoners in proper military uniforms and with well-fed faces were chasing two other people out of the camp, also Russian prisoners, but so frail, wasted, and apathetic that they seemed already to have died, dragging themselves forward with a strength that was not theirs.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • A wasted, emaciated Edie Sedgewick type floats into Jim's fractured POV—introducing a man with a crew cut and silk suit.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

wild
vswaste
430 1.0

Living in a natural state and not tamed by people

is about empty barren land rather than natural untamed life
godforsaken
vswaste
37 8.0

A remote, empty place with no people or activity

is about barren emptiness rather than neglect or disrepair

Antonyms

55 3.8

Growing and very successful, like a busy café or arts scene

28 2.9

A place where people or animals live

Idioms

A situation that needs action right away

10 8.8

An action that causes great damage to places and people

Use things carefully so you do not run out later

So good that it should not be thrown away

Compounds

229 2.7

An activity that takes time but does not help you

An amount of money spent without getting a useful result

38 3.5

Poisonous materials people throw away that can harm health or nature

15 2.7

Uneaten or leftover food that people throw away from homes and shops

radioactive waste
  • Specialized
14 5.0

Unwanted material from nuclear power that gives off radiation

An action that uses effort but achieves nothing useful

A thing made and thrown away by a factory, machine, or body

An activity that uses your time but does not help you

7 3.5

Dirty substances that people get rid of from their bodies, like urine and feces

A place where people leave dangerous chemicals, often illegally

Things like old or broken items that are thrown away

5 1.3

A container with an open top for small trash like paper

An action that uses time and energy but gives no useful result

2 1.1

Paper that people throw away after use

waste of skin
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A person seen as having no value or use

2 4.2

A way to stop making trash by reusing, recycling and using fewer things

toxic waste site
  • Specialized
2 4.4

A place where dangerous chemical waste is stored or dumped

body waste
  • NSFW
1 2.7

Things the body gets rid of, like urine, sweat, and feces

1 6.5

Radioactive material from medical tests and hospital procedures that has low radiation and needs safe handling

1 7.8

Highly radioactive material left after nuclear fuel is used that needs safe storage for a long time

A thing like time or money that is completely useless and gives no benefit

Using or throwing away materials so usable parts are lost

1 1.9

Things people throw away because they are not useful

A small open container for throwing away paper and other small rubbish

1 4.7

Poisonous waste from factories that can harm people and nature

1 3.0

A pipe that carries away dirty water from a sink or bath

1 4.8

An area of land where people put rubbish

toxic waste area
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A place where people dump poisonous materials that must be cleaned because they can harm people or nature

9.9

A property loses value when a tenant fails to take care of it

9.9

A rude phrase for something completely pointless and not worth your time

waste baler
  • Specialized
5.6

A machine that presses waste like cardboard or plastic into tight bundles for easier handling

7.2

A large shallow pond that treats sewage using sunlight and bacteria and algae

How Desolate

uninhabitable
15 6.1
waste
5 5.6
barren
  • Archaic
12 6.8
empty
∞ 1.0
quiet
∞ 1.0
lively
109 1.3

Surface Forms

waste positive

Etymology

Waste as an adjective comes from an old English word wāst meaning 'barren' or 'desert', so a 'waste' place is empty and without life.