barren
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.
Usually barrens. level or slightly rolling land, usually with a sandy soil and few trees, and relatively infertile.
Origin of barren
1synonym study For barren
Other words for barren
| 1 | childless, unprolific, infertile |
| 2 | infertile, depleted, waste |
| 5 | ineffectual, ineffective |
Opposites for barren
Other words from barren
- bar·ren·ly, adverb
- bar·ren·ness, noun
- un·bar·ren, adjective
- un·bar·ren·ly, adverb
- un·bar·ren·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with barren
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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-ScienceThey 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 | ProPublicaWhen 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 PostSolving 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 PostAs 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.
These two things shall come upon thee suddenly in one day, barrenness and widowhood.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousThe 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 | VariousHer barrenness gave reason to fear a divorce in case her husband should ascend the throne.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de BalzacOnly 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
/ (ˈbærən) /
incapable of producing offspring, seed, or fruit; sterile: a barren tree
unable to support the growth of crops, etc; unproductive; bare: barren land
lacking in stimulation or ideas; dull: a rather barren play
not producing worthwhile results; unprofitable: a 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
Origin of barren
1Derived forms of barren
- barrenly, adverb
- barrenness, noun
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
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