noun
badlands
BAD-landz
noun
1
Dry, heavily eroded terrain, often marked by jagged rock formations and little vegetation.
"The hikers explored the badlands, with their strange striped cliffs and canyons."
How to Use Badlands
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA harsh, rocky, eroded stretch of land that's difficult to farm or travel across.
Common pairings
the Badlands
badlands terrain
Word Forms
badlands plural
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The hikers explored the _____, with their strange striped cliffs and canyons.
Etymology
A direct translation of a Canadian French phrase meaning "bad lands to cross," itself borrowed from a Lakota phrase describing land that was difficult to travel through.