desolate landscapes

Desolate landscapes are barren, empty, and often bleak expanses of terrain—deserts, wastelands, abandoned places where little thrives.

The phrase emphasizes both physical emptiness and emotional atmosphere: a sense of loneliness or abandonment pervades.

The film's desolate landscapes mirrored the protagonist's inner emptiness.

Common in nature photography, travel writing, and descriptions of post-apocalyptic settings.