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
David Ewalt, NBC news, 10 May 2025
In the early 1900s, Jennie Butchart transformed the scarred land of a barren limestone quarry into a lush retreat, proving nature’s resilience.
—Cheryl Russell, Oc Register, 11 May 2025
The inky ocean depths are often assumed to be barren, but this is a myth, said Adrian Glover, a deep-sea ocean scientist at the UK’s Natural History Museum.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 8 May 2025
Due to the lack of rain in the crucial winter months, the areas that are sometimes covered in poppies, lupines and other blooms — the Arvin Cross area in Arvin, Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore and the Antelope Valley, to name a few — are more barren this year.
—Raul Roa, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
Ten of those missions successfully landed on the hot, barren planet, but the rocket carrying Kosmos 482 malfunctioned.
—David Ewalt, NBC news, 10 May 2025
In the early 1900s, Jennie Butchart transformed the scarred land of a barren limestone quarry into a lush retreat, proving nature’s resilience.
—Cheryl Russell, Oc Register, 11 May 2025
The inky ocean depths are often assumed to be barren, but this is a myth, said Adrian Glover, a deep-sea ocean scientist at the UK’s Natural History Museum.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 8 May 2025
Due to the lack of rain in the crucial winter months, the areas that are sometimes covered in poppies, lupines and other blooms — the Arvin Cross area in Arvin, Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore and the Antelope Valley, to name a few — are more barren this year.
—Raul Roa, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
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When The Last of Us premiered back in 2023, there was massive chatter surrounding Pascal and his penchant for rescuing desolate children in TV shows.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 May 2025
-
See a camera operator following Snook to a desolate corner?—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
The rest of the film largely unfolds in sterile, windowless courtrooms as the terms of the clearly unethical (if apparently standard) agreement are reexamined, and the pressures of the trial strain the young couple’s relationship.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
28 May 2025
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This means that any lander to set down, even briefly, on one of these moons would have to be completely sterile.—
Joshua Rapp Learn,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
One game after the Oilers were unsuccessful in challenging that Bennett interfered with Stuart Skinner during the game’s first goal, Bennett toppled over Skinner after getting contact from Ekholm later in the period.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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Efforts to reach Suncor officials for this story were unsuccessful.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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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
-
Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, CA A chic escape for those looking to relax and recharge in the desert, Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa offers Functional Flow Yoga classes designed to enhance strength, mobility and balance through mindful movement.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Predator and later Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles allowed pilots in dark bases in the Nevada desert to attack militant targets in the Middle East.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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During campaign events, Lee, who grew up in an impoverished farming household and toiled in factories as a child, spoke from behind bullet-proof glass to crowds, which were surveyed by rooftop police snipers.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
4 June 2025
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Curtis’ extraordinary talent is first recognized in kindergarten, when a charitable foundation donates instruments to his impoverished public school.—
Joan Gaylord,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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The fight against short-term rentals, after all, can be futile.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
6 June 2025
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But without Congress actually enacting the DOGE cuts into law, history will show this entire exercise to have been largely futile.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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This year’s group also includes 16 corporate CEOs, a record, and a sign of the emergence of a class of business leaders who are filling a leadership void.—
Sam Jacobs,
Time,
16 Apr. 2025
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The party has also been mired in a leadership void as former President Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris have largely remained out of the spotlight.—
Caroline Vakil,
The Hill,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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