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
Bernadette Keith, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2025
Where homes, buildings and fields once stood in the southern city of Rafah, there were now craters and barren wastelands.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Piazzale Angelo Moratti will no longer appear like a vast docking station for a bleeping spaceship on a barren planet, serviced only by rickety trams and a purple metro line.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Together with progress made in other areas, such as finding ways of making Mars warm enough to sustain liquid water, restoring barren environments on Earth could be a key to one day living on Mars.
—Chris Impey, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
The rock formations of the Burren in County Clare create a barren but breathtaking landscape that stretches out to the sea.
—Bernadette Keith, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2025
Where homes, buildings and fields once stood in the southern city of Rafah, there were now craters and barren wastelands.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Piazzale Angelo Moratti will no longer appear like a vast docking station for a bleeping spaceship on a barren planet, serviced only by rickety trams and a purple metro line.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Together with progress made in other areas, such as finding ways of making Mars warm enough to sustain liquid water, restoring barren environments on Earth could be a key to one day living on Mars.
—Chris Impey, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
-
Clowns, aliens and the mysteries of Denver Airport Nevada’s Extraterrestrial Highway – yes, it’s officially called that – runs through one of the most remote and desolate stretches of the United States.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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To find the killer, Sherlock Holmes and Watson will have to brave desolate moors before a family curse dooms the newest heirs.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
To combat the spread of the flies, the USDA disperses sterile flies into the area to stop the mating, a scientific method known as sterile insect technique (SIT).—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
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Not seeing the bigger picture led to gray kitchens that felt sterile, flat, or at odds with their own style.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Mellon family foundation did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment, and attempts by the Times to reach Mellon were unsuccessful.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.—
Shane Connuck,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Oct. 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
-
Sipping craft cocktails in a desert oasis?—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
24 Oct. 2025
-
He was arrested out in the desert over a traffic ticket.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The film, which world premiered in the Berlinale’s Perspectives sidebar, follows an impoverished but determined family put to test when the father, who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is accused of murder.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
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Sanctions have crippled the government’s primary source of revenue, oil exports, limiting the state’s ability to provide for millions of impoverished Iranians through social safety nets.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Understanding each other is futile.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
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The court fights all proved futile, however.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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This Promotion is void outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and where prohibited.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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