no-man's-land
noun
ˈnō-ˌmanz-ˌland 
1
a
: an area of unowned, unclaimed, or uninhabited land
b
: an unoccupied area between opposing armies
c
: an area not suitable or used for occupation or habitation
downtown was a retailing no-man's-land
2
: an anomalous, ambiguous, or indefinite area especially of operation, application, or jurisdiction
the no-man's-land between art and science
Synonyms
- barren
- desert
- desolation
- heath
- waste
- wasteland
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
no-man's-land
noun
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops the city's decayed industrial quarter is a no-man's-land of abandoned factories and weedy vacant lots Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- desert
- barren
- wasteland
- wilderness
- dust bowl
- heath
- open air
- desolation
- bush
- wild
- waste
- brush
- open
- badland
- outdoors
- nature
- out-of-doors