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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barren
Ghada Abdulfattah, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
For the visual effects supervisors who were tasked with bringing the arctic horrors to life, their challenge was adding depth and value to a barren landscape.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Aug. 2025
Deep in the interior lies Askja, a vast volcanic caldera surrounded by a barren lava desert.
—David Nikel, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
Even baby Nada’s milk bottles sit empty, lined up beside other barren utensils.
—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
For the visual effects supervisors who were tasked with bringing the arctic horrors to life, their challenge was adding depth and value to a barren landscape.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Aug. 2025
Deep in the interior lies Askja, a vast volcanic caldera surrounded by a barren lava desert.
—David Nikel, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
-
The film opens in the desolate Arctic, where Victor has chased his creation, and flashes back as Frankenstein relates his life’s story to a Danish sea captain whose ship is stuck in the ice.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
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Springsteen wouldn’t even allow his photo to appear on the album cover, instead choosing a black-and-white image from the POV of the inside of a car traveling down a desolate highway on a cloudy day.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Rollins said the facility will be completed by the end of 2025, allowing USDA to aerially disperse sterile male flies at the border and northern Mexico to mate with wild female flies, resulting in no offspring.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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Combatting the screwworm The U.S. Department of Agriculture will build a facility in Texas, the largest cattle-producing state, that will produce sterile flies to try and keep the flies' population from growing.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Meyer said efforts to relocate the warehouse were unsuccessful.—
Erik S. Hanley,
jsonline.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Marsh’s years of litigation against the city have been unsuccessful so far.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
27 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
-
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
-
On approach, the gull-wing doors open, soft white light bathes the interior, an animation on the steering wheel mimics shifting desert sand, V-series logos light up on interior door caps.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
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The resort, in one of the planet's hottest deserts, is expected to rely heavily on artificial snow but potentially natural snow as well due to being a high mountain, according to Philip Gullett, executive director of Neom's Trojena.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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As with many of his innovations and creations, the inspiration for his unbreakable porcelain came from his impoverished childhood.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Bodyguard of Lies, an investigation into the United States’ bloody, costly, and ultimately futile war in Afghanistan, will open theatrically for a limited run in New York on September 12, before bowing on the Paramount+ platform on Sept. 23.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
13 Aug. 2025
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But given the likely futile nature of the Braves' remaining games at that point, he might unofficially be done for the year.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Terron Armstead’s retirement and Calais Campbell’s departure to Arizona left a massive leadership void in the locker room.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The no-confidence motion is rendered void, and Dalton is reinstated as PM.—
Jack King,
Vulture,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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