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
Adam B. Vary, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Staring out at the barren fields, more than one exec wondered if this wasn’t a mistake.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
On a macro scale, that effect has been well-documented by photographers, with aerial shots of waterways clogged with plastic, the scars on barren land from deforestation and countless smokestacks spewing pollution into the air.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 30 Aug. 2025
Just as Thompson saw something of the end of the hippie dream in the barren stretches of Southwest sand, so too did many of the American films most explicitly concerned with the collapse of ’60s idealism take place in the country’s deserts.
—Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
While flying a shuttlecraft, she gets sucked into a wormhole and crashes onto a barren moon.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Staring out at the barren fields, more than one exec wondered if this wasn’t a mistake.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
On a macro scale, that effect has been well-documented by photographers, with aerial shots of waterways clogged with plastic, the scars on barren land from deforestation and countless smokestacks spewing pollution into the air.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 30 Aug. 2025
Just as Thompson saw something of the end of the hippie dream in the barren stretches of Southwest sand, so too did many of the American films most explicitly concerned with the collapse of ’60s idealism take place in the country’s deserts.
—Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
-
The lock screen on the Mac remains a desolate place, relative to the same area in both iOS and iPadOS—this is still a no-notifications, no-widgets zone that exists only to keep your Mac locked.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
-
While the rest of Burning Man celebrated, Kruglov lay prostrate on the ground at a faraway campsite in a comparatively desolate section of Black Rock City, his throat slashed, as a puddle of blood congealed around his lifeless body.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But this more robust communications channel is quite welcome after decades of sterile chatbots and IVR that fail to offer a realistic experience to those trying to reach the top brass of any company anywhere.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The sterile cockpit rule prohibits pilots from engaging in conversations unrelated to operating the aircraft when flying below 10,000 feet.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
While Hadden-Paton was unsuccessful in keeping his dapper suit, his costar, Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, confessed to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Live!—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out for comment but was unsuccessful.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
14 Sep. 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
-
He’s thrilled to accept an invitation to spend a week doing some heavy-duty training with his idol, star quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), at White’s remote desert compound.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
-
But very few places have two, none have two in the desert, and none are attached to a cool, upscale casinos resort like this one, with lots of dining and entrainment on site, in the middle of the city.—
Larry Olmsted,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
It was conducted in an impoverished country in Africa where the mortality rate for children under age 5 is about double the global average, according to data collected by UNICEF.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Along with housing, medical expenses are a top cost for impoverished people.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In other words, resistance is futile.—
Mia Sosa,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
-
If anything, Shock and Awe mostly reminds you how futile living in the madness of a Fake News world can be.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The increasingly popular use of void years — dummy years to spread the cap hit beyond a contract’s expiration — magnifies the effect.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In his appeal though, obtained by PEOPLE, Guobadia argued that their November 2022 prenup was void because Williams allegedly misrepresented herself during negotiations by not disclosing her plans to return to RHOA.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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