barren

[ bar-uhn ]

/ ˈbær ən /

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See synonyms for: barren / barrens / barrenness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not producing or incapable of producing offspring; sterile: a barren woman.

unproductive; unfruitful: barren land.

without capacity to interest or attract: a barren period in American architecture.

mentally unproductive; dull; stupid.

not producing results; fruitless: a barren effort.

destitute; bereft; lacking (usually followed by of): barren of tender feelings.

noun

Usually barrens. level or slightly rolling land, usually with a sandy soil and few trees, and relatively infertile.

OTHER WORDS FOR barren

1 childless, unprolific, infertile.

2 infertile, depleted, waste.

5 ineffectual, ineffective.

See synonyms for barren on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR barren

1-6 fertile.

See antonyms for barren on Thesaurus.com

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of barren

1200–50; Middle English bareyn(e), barayn(e) <Anglo-French barai(gn)e,Old French brahaigne (French bréhaigne (of animals) sterile), akin to Spanish breña scrubby, uncultivated ground, Upper Italian barena land along a lagoon covered by high water; apparently <Celtic, compare Welsh braenar,Irish branar fallow land, but derivational details unclear

synonym study for barren

2. See bare¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM barren

bar·ren·ly, adverbbar·ren·ness, nounun·bar·ren, adjectiveun·bar·ren·ly, adverb

un·bar·ren·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH barren

barren , baron, baronet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use barren in a sentence

When the eagle-eyed camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter first spotted the bands in the late 2000s, shocked researchers wondered if they might be watching water streaming across the Red Planet’s barren surface.
Mars’s mascara-like streaks may be caused by slush and landslides|Charlie Wood|February 3, 2021|Popular-Science
They pointed to the barren hillsides above town, saying runoff from clear-cuts had polluted the creek where they get their water.
Timber Tax Cuts Cost Oregon Towns Billions. Then Polluted Water Drove Up the Price.|by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Rob Davis, The Oregonian/OregonLive|January 1, 2021|ProPublica
When Vanderbilt’s harsh helping of coronavirus quarantines and contact-tracing woes had left the team barren of kickers, Coach Derek Mason and staff turned to a goalkeeper from the soccer team, which had won the SEC tournament championship Sunday.
Sarah Fuller made college football history Saturday. She also delivered a fine halftime speech.|Chuck Culpepper|November 29, 2020|Washington Post
Solving archery puzzles spread across a wide barren environment just wasn’t for me.
‘The Pathless’: Less than the sum of its parts|Christopher Byrd|November 23, 2020|Washington Post

As we rode through the barren, rugged terrain, I tried not to think about the fact that the beauty of the open country also meant a scarcity of resources.
How Biking Across America Formed an Unlikely Friendship|Raffi Joe Wartanian|October 8, 2020|Outside Online
Not less so is the barrenness of this country, which was formerly and usually the last resource.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
These two things shall come upon thee suddenly in one day, barrenness and widowhood.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The children of thy barrenness shall still say in thy ears: The place is too strait for me, make me room to dwell in.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Her barrenness gave reason to fear a divorce in case her husband should ascend the throne.
Catherine de' Medici|Honore de Balzac
Only here and there, separated by vast intervals of barrenness, could be seen minute streaks of verdure.
Overland|John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for barren

barren

/ (ˈbærən) /

adjective

incapable of producing offspring, seed, or fruit; sterilea barren tree

unable to support the growth of crops, etc; unproductive; barebarren land

lacking in stimulation or ideas; dulla rather barren play

not producing worthwhile results; unprofitablea barren period in a writer's life

(foll by of) totally lacking (in); devoid (of)his speech was barren of wit

(of rock strata) having no fossils

Derived forms of barren

barrenly, adverbbarrenness, noun

Word Origin for barren

C13: from Old French brahain, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for barren

barren

[ băr′ən ]

adj.

Not producing offspring.

Incapable of producing offspring.

barren

OTHER WORDS FOR barren

OPPOSITES FOR barren

Origin of barren

synonym study for barren

OTHER WORDS FROM barren

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH barren

Words related to barren

How to use barren in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for barren

Derived forms of barren

Word Origin for barren

Medical definitions for barren