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
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
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Recent Examples of barren
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
Dike, who has missed much of the last two years with a string of serious injuries, ended his barren spell by scoring for his English Championship club West Bromwich Albion in their 5-3 win over Luton Town on Saturday.
—Ali Rampling, New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
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
Dike, who has missed much of the last two years with a string of serious injuries, ended his barren spell by scoring for his English Championship club West Bromwich Albion in their 5-3 win over Luton Town on Saturday.
—Ali Rampling, New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
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The location is on federal land just north of the U.S.-Mexico border along a desolate stretch of the Sonoran Desert about 72 miles south-southwest of Tucson.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
5 May 2025
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Even the trailers for Superman have echos of the Man of Steel and Batman v Superman trailers, including starting with Superman falling out of the sky into a desolate Arctic area.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Recently, 26 previously unknown bacterial species were discovered in NASA clean rooms — some of the most sterile places humanity has built, designed to prevent spacecraft from carrying unwanted microbes to other planetary bodies.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
21 May 2025
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Why does every waiting room look like some sterile IKEA?—
Shep Hyken,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Officials said he was found semiconscious on the River Trail on June 30 but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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Efforts to refloat the ship during high tide on Thursday were unsuccessful.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 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
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Marvel at one of Africa’s most compelling regions with 7 Wonders in 7 Days at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, an intimate, seven-night journey to the Namib, the world’s oldest living desert.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 May 2025
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On Friday, temperatures in Southern California are expected to range from eight to 16 degrees above normal, with highs in the 90s to just above 100 degrees across the valleys, lower mountains and deserts, according to the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Eagerly drinking the Kool-Aid is Simone DeWitt (Alcock), a formerly impoverished but deeply ambitious upstart from Buffalo who gets a taste of the lifestyle of the rich and famous as Michaela's uppity assistant.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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That could mean removing spending from public school meal programs for impoverished children, removing access to health care to people with developmental disabilities, or cutting Social Security payments to even the deficit.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Cutting spending wasted on a futile pursuit of a global empire is not just a fiscal necessity.—
Ron Paul,
Oc Register,
20 May 2025
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Desperate Steve Kerr frequently toggled his non-Draymond Green big men as late as the second round of the playoffs in a futile effort to contain the giants of the Minnesota Timberwolves around the rim.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Assuming Schoen continues his practice of not adding void years, the Giants could create $15.7 million in cap space with a max restructure of Burns’ contract, which runs through 2028.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Their current rotation is Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, Cade Povich, Sugano, and the void Gibson left behind.—
Daniel R. Epstein,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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