Badlands
Noun: 1. An eroded and barren region in southwestern South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska: A specific geographical area in the United States known for its distinctive, severely eroded landscape. 2. Deeply eroded barren land: Any area of heavily eroded, rugged terrain, typically characterized by soft sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils, with sparse vegetation due to a lack of water and poor soil quality.
- Noun (Specific Region):
- We took a road trip to visit the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.
- The fossils found in the Badlands provide clues about ancient mammals.
- Noun (General Terrain):
- Years of drought and overgrazing turned the fertile plains into a desolate badlands.
- The canyon's walls were sculpted into a maze of gullies, creating a miniature badlands.
- Used attributively (as an adjective): The term can describe features or characteristics typical of such landscapes.
- The expedition crossed a badlands topography of sharp ridges and dry washes.
- They hiked through a badlands region where nothing seemed to grow.
- Badland (noun, often used in the plural form "badlands"): A single area of such eroded land.
- Erosion (noun): The process by which the surface of the earth is worn away, which creates badlands.
- Butte (noun): An isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top, common in badlands terrain.
- Ravine (noun): A deep, narrow gorge, a common feature in eroded badlands.
- Eroded terrain
- Barren lands
- Wasteland (emphasizes the lack of productivity and life)
- Desolate region
- Badlands National Park: The protected area encompassing the most famous section of the North American Badlands.
- To explore the badlands: To travel through or investigate such a rugged area.
The word has two primary meanings: 1. A proper noun referring to a specific, famous region in the Great Plains of the United States (often capitalized: the Badlands). 2. A common noun used generically to describe any severely eroded, arid, and barren landscape with similar geological features. The general meaning derives from the specific place name.
- an eroded and barren region in southwestern South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska
- deeply eroded barren land