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
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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
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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
Morten Høi Jensen, The Dial, 19 June 2025
While its craggy slopes may seem barren at first glance, the mountain is actually a bastion of Canarian biodiversity, with Teide violets, red bugloss and Tenerife lizards all calling the region home.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
For many of the faithful, the pilgrimage begins at a sacred mud volcano rising from the barren landscape near the Makran Coastal Highway.
—Zia Ur-Rehman Asim Hafeez, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The festival was deliberately planned for the barren weeks in June after college students left and before the summer concert and festival season kicked in.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
Transatlantic flights from northern Europe — London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen — routinely cross the southern half of the island, the bright, barren ice sheet often visible for up to an hour of cruising speed.
—Morten Høi Jensen, The Dial, 19 June 2025
While its craggy slopes may seem barren at first glance, the mountain is actually a bastion of Canarian biodiversity, with Teide violets, red bugloss and Tenerife lizards all calling the region home.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
For many of the faithful, the pilgrimage begins at a sacred mud volcano rising from the barren landscape near the Makran Coastal Highway.
—Zia Ur-Rehman Asim Hafeez, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The festival was deliberately planned for the barren weeks in June after college students left and before the summer concert and festival season kicked in.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
-
For starters, no one would ever describe them as empty or desolate.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
-
Of the 14 missiles, 13 were intercepted, with the final munition allowed to land harmlessly in a desolate area.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Some varieties are sterile and do not produce fruit.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
-
Much of the factory was supposed to be as sterile as an operating room.—
Debbie Cenziper,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful and the man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Officer Anthony Gamble, a Sacramento Police Department spokesperson.—
The Sacramento Bee,
Sacbee.com,
29 June 2025
-
Attempts to impeach Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018, were unsuccessful.—
Avet Demourian,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 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
-
Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
14 Feb. 2023
Noun
-
Photo: Leo Fox A relative hotel desert until recent years, a crop of new addresses are cementing Valencia’s resurgence as a travel destination.—
Elizabeth Bennett,
Vogue,
20 June 2025
-
The biggest find on Tracks II is Inyo, a portrait of the California badlands, set in border towns, desert roads, and aqueducts, with the heavy influence of mariachi bands.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
The impoverished duke needs Gladys' dowry to prop up his family's estate, and Bertha may have promised him a bit too much without informing George or taking Gladys' wishes into account.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
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Known collectively as Hessians, since most Germans hired by London to fight in America came from Hesse-Kassel, this contingent was largely from the small, impoverished duchy of Brunswick, whose ruling family had intermarried with the British royal family.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
The researchers said their findings should not suggest afforestation and carbon offsetting are futile.—
Hayley Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
-
And beneath that fear lies a corrosive belief that resistance is futile.—
Elisa Manfredini,
Time,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
Treaties signed under coercion became formally void, neutrality no longer required impartiality, and leaders who committed aggressive acts of war could be held criminally responsible.—
Oona A. Hathaway,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
-
Ferran Torres deputised well during that spell, but more firepower is needed to fill the goalscoring void during Lewandowski’s absences.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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