1
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
if tobacco fields aren't allowed to lie idle once every few years, they will become barren
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring
the pear tree appears to be barren
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
that line of investigation proved barren, so the police tried other avenues
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in devoid
utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected
their proposal for revitalizing the downtown business district is utterly barren of useful ideas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops
lived out in the barrens where it was impossible to grow anything
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barren
Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
In Petrified, a fight to the death unfolds on barren ground.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
The two huddled on the table, shivering as if stranded in a barren field.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
But the cupboard is hardly barren for Los Angeles.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
There's a naivety and sweetness to them that's ripped away in an instant when the two passionately make love in the barren house, the inciting incident for the demise of their relationship.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
In Petrified, a fight to the death unfolds on barren ground.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
The two huddled on the table, shivering as if stranded in a barren field.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
But the cupboard is hardly barren for Los Angeles.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
-
The Irvines’ son died in the crash, and Peter used the cover of the most inexplicably desolate street in Chicago to switch his body for Carrie’s healthy son while the two women lay unconscious.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Almost always surrounded by bare, desolate mountains.—
Joe Baur,
Outside,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Rockets and satellites were historically mostly built in massive, sterile places where engineers in Tyvek suits moved cautiously around intricate components.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Intelligence Profiles That Foster Innovation At GAIME Conference, creativity is the focus, not sterile conference rooms.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But her appeal was unsuccessful.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Industry lobbying unsuccessful to date Some advocates for the restaurant industry have been lobbying to change the way service fees are treated.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.—
Michael Abbott,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
That devoid ingredient hindered things exponentially.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
And the movie, with these two sexy people sparring for about 10 minutes, only to settle their differences over whiskey before a roaring fire in a snowbound cabin that looks like a vacation hideaway, has an unironic romance-novel baby-it’s-cold-outside vibe of old-school desert-island love.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
-
When the Snowflake-Taylor police department in the high desert of Arizona conducted an active shooter drill at Snowflake High School in October 2024, students didn’t take it seriously, says police chief Bobby Martin.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
All the struggling, impoverished Californians who wish their lives were better?—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The flood of people overwhelmed Bajo Chiquito, an impoverished community of 382 members of the Indigenous Emberá-Wounaan people.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Police struggle to maintain order, their wooden sticks cracking against the pavement in a futile attempt to control the sheer mass of people.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Trying to win new, younger shoppers is expensive and may end up being futile.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The phrase ‘regulate…importation’ is surrounded by verbs like ‘nullify, void, prevent, and prohibit,’ so it, too, should be interpreted broadly — to include tariffs.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Even so, Posobiec is better positioned than anyone else to fill at least some of the void Kirk has left as one of the most important figures on the contemporary right.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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