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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barren
Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
One hundred years to the month had passed since a 23-year-old postdoc named Werner Heisenberg was driven by a case of hay fever to Helgoland, a barren, windswept island in the North Sea.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Once, a farmer grazed cattle here, or grew corn, but now the fields are barren and lifeless.
—Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Even baby Nada’s milk bottles sit empty, lined up beside other barren utensils.
—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
Since then, the Space to Grow program has turned 36 barren yards at public schools across Chicago into green community hubs; five more redesign projects are breaking ground this summer.
—Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
One hundred years to the month had passed since a 23-year-old postdoc named Werner Heisenberg was driven by a case of hay fever to Helgoland, a barren, windswept island in the North Sea.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Once, a farmer grazed cattle here, or grew corn, but now the fields are barren and lifeless.
—Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Even baby Nada’s milk bottles sit empty, lined up beside other barren utensils.
—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
-
The first fires tore across humble, pioneering patches of plant life no taller than your ankle, as well as burning through rather more astonishing, and truly bizarre, 25-foot columns of fungus that briefly held sway on this desolate world before trees.—
Peter Brannen,
Big Think,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Restaurants provided a beacon of hope at a time when the landscape was desolate.—
Beth D'Addono,
Southern Living,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Dealing with the horrors of the situation in Gaza within the sterile environment of a call center, its workers are feeling increasingly hopeless, caught in the political crossfire of an escalating situation.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
-
For the first time, a technological tool seemed to truly understand us—not as a sterile database, but as a conversational partner.—
Avital Pardo,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But buyout attempts from budget rivals like JetBlue and Frontier were unsuccessful both before and duringSpirt’s first bankruptcy process.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Federal rules require employers to first recruit domestically and, if unsuccessful, to pay H-2B workers the prevailing local wage.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 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
-
The smoke builds but never overwhelms, adding an earthy, savory note that feels equal parts barbecue pit and desert bonfire.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
-
These typically include high-mountain zones above tree line, alpine environments inhabited by delicate and slow-growing flora, and deserts and other arid places characterized by low soil moisture.—
B. Derrick Taff,
The Conversation,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Murral’s life began in Forest, a small, impoverished town in Mississippi aptly named; there were, and still are, more trees than people there.—
Sarah Rex,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Many people, especially those of us raised in impoverished (in the widest sense of the word) environments, spend their twenties banging their heads against a wall.—
Jane Ciabattari
August 19,
Literary Hub,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Rockies’ brass, however, doesn’t believe the future is futile.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
-
For a company of its size, competing on scale is futile.—
Lela London,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The departures leave a leadership void that, according to current and former CDC officials, has demoralized the agency’s staff and will further undermine its ability to provide reliable guidance to Americans.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
28 Aug. 2025
-
There’s also a big spider thing that emerges from void portals sometimes.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share