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
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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
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
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Recent Examples of barren
The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
Sealed by consuming a mushroom that sprung from the snowy, barren land (as seen in last week’s episode), Richard’s devilish pact cursed Widow’s Bay for the foreseeable future, binding all those born on it to its grounds — those who try to leave face immediate death beyond its watery borders.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 27 May 2026
The trailer for Backrooms shows Ejiofor, 48, exploring a bizarre, barren yellow room that seemingly never ends.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
The summit is a barren ash field, gray and treeless, scoured by sulfuric gas and acidic rain that burns whatever tries to grow.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for barren
Adjective
The front of their single-story bungalow, though, remained a barren conundrum.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
Sealed by consuming a mushroom that sprung from the snowy, barren land (as seen in last week’s episode), Richard’s devilish pact cursed Widow’s Bay for the foreseeable future, binding all those born on it to its grounds — those who try to leave face immediate death beyond its watery borders.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 27 May 2026
The trailer for Backrooms shows Ejiofor, 48, exploring a bizarre, barren yellow room that seemingly never ends.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
The summit is a barren ash field, gray and treeless, scoured by sulfuric gas and acidic rain that burns whatever tries to grow.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for barren
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren
Adjective
-
The flyer featured a photograph of the 31-year-old singer-songwriter on a desolate small-town street, behind the wheel of a vintage turquoise vehicle.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
15 June 2026
-
Since the Bankhead and Livermore Cinema opened, a number of popular restaurants – including Zachary’s Pizza, Sauced BBQ and Spirits and Locanda Wine Bar have transformed a once-desolate block into a buzzing culinary destination.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
That was eradicated a decade later only with the help of sterile flies, as the US and Mexico scaled up production to as many as 500 million insects a week.—
Ilena Peng,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
-
For shoppers chasing a fragrance that feels personal rather than sterile, 2026 is shaping up as the year of the bee.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
If an actor is unsuccessful, their information will be retained only for as long as the Casting Director reasonably considers necessary for record-keeping purposes.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
-
Fertility treatments were unsuccessful.—
Kendra MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Her outfit was devoid of any other color.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
This is a story devoid of childlike wonder, just the horrific evil men are capable of and the small acts of grace found in unspeakable circumstances.—
Chris Nashawaty,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Patagonia is a diverse region in southern Chile and Argentina, with glaciers, mountains and fjords to the west, stretching into steppe and desert toward the east.—
Brittany Peterson,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
-
In the dead of night, the earth beneath Southern California buckled, shaking millions of people, damaging or destroying hundreds of buildings, breaking the California Aqueduct and sending more than a billion gallons of water flooding into an ancient desert lake bed.—
Shelby Grad,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Transposing the book onto a contemporary setting, Jude’s take centers on an impoverished Romanian migrant, Gianina, played by a sensational Ana Dumitrașcu, who finds work as a housekeeper and au pair for a smugly bourgeois-bohemian couple living in Bordeaux.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
11 June 2026
-
To ease the financial burden on the most impoverished, the government said tax exemptions would apply to micro-enterprises and those earning less than $680 a month.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Fahd, cradling his bloodied baby, pressing his hand to Sam’s head in a futile attempt to staunch the bleeding.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
The suit recounts the rapid deterioration — and futile attempts to salvage — what for a long time had been a mutually beneficial professional and artistic partnership.—
Mary Carole McCauley,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
The challenge is only open to entrants in states where Benjamin Franklin Plumbing’s businesses are located and is void where prohibited.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
-
Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Sweepstakes or website, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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