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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
that line of investigation proved barren, so the police tried other avenues
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barren
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
Melbourne, Australia — An ungainly barrel of a shark cruising languidly over a barren seabed far too deep for the sun's rays to illuminate was an unexpected sight.
—CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
The park benches are bare, the outdoor cafe tables barren.
—Nora Krug, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2026
The Clifton Market had a lot of barren shelves.
—Scott Wartman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
From a distance, Sawgrass Mills looks almost extraterrestrial, an immense and alien form landed in the barren suburban Broward landscape.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
Melbourne, Australia — An ungainly barrel of a shark cruising languidly over a barren seabed far too deep for the sun's rays to illuminate was an unexpected sight.
—CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
The park benches are bare, the outdoor cafe tables barren.
—Nora Krug, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2026
The Clifton Market had a lot of barren shelves.
—Scott Wartman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
-
Instead, adventurous beachgoers can check out the remains of hundreds of shipwrecks, lodged in the desolate sand.—
Melanie van Zyl,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Your character is a shape-shifting Ditto, and you’ve been dropped in a desolate landscape.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Plants can seed readily, so look for sterile varieties such as 'Select Blue', 'Walker’s Low', or 'Cat’s Meow' that won’t become weedy in the garden.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Mulch To maintain healthy strawberries, Montgomery places a sterile straw around the plants and then applies an additional layer of mulch on top.—
Lauren Wellbank,
Martha Stewart,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Multiple attempts to reach the property owner were unsuccessful.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
-
There is some hope within the organization that Blackburn can follow a path similar to the one that Luke Weaver took, as the ex-Yank transitioned from an unsuccessful starter to a high-leverage reliever while making relatively little money with the team.—
Gary Phillips,
Hartford Courant,
12 Mar. 2026
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
-
The unusual summer-like heat will extend over most of the state and the American Southwest, with some desert regions likely to experience their earliest 100-degree day of the year on record, according to the weather service.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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For years now, that’s pretty much what has been happening in the section of hip-hop’s underground that treats Whole Lotta Red like a sacred text—just replace the Western desert with Discord chats.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Salt was another luxury for the impoverished migrants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Cinema-going culture has struggled to take hold in much of South Africa, particularly in townships and other impoverished communities, prompting the organizers to focus on building that culture in the next generation of South African moviegoers and filmmakers.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Saturday’s game featured a feverish but futile effort marked by a rally from 15 down in the first half, 12 ties and 12 lead changes.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Mar. 2026
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Auditor Diana DiZoglio should abandon her futile court case to open the Legislature’s books and instead work on defeating her troika of opponents the old fashioned way – at the ballot box.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Water the plant to saturation after installing, and then check again for void pockets.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The team added two void years to the back of Brown’s contract and paid out the bulk of his 2026 base salary as a signing bonus.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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