What does "barren" mean?
An area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place.
Barren
/ˈbæɹən/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place.
- Grammar: barren is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: desolate, abortive, acarpous, arid.
- Useful contrasts: fertile, fruitful, plentiful.
- Usage evidence: The trees are barren or bear only small fruit.
How to use "barren"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "barren" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "barren" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "barren" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "barren" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "barren" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "desolate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "barren", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place.
"Sol squinted out over the barrens to where the mountains shimmered in the heat haze."
- 2 an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation wordnet
- 3 In particular, a usually elevated and flat expanse of land that only supports the growth of small trees and shrubs, and sometimes mosses or heathers, berries, and other marshy or moory vegetation, but little agriculture and few people. plural-normally
"The pine barrens are a site lonely enough to suit any hermit."
Adjective
- 1 Not bearing children, childless; hence also unable to bear children, sterile. not-comparable
"I silently wept as my daughter's husband rejected her. What would she do now that she was no longer a maiden but also barren?"
- 2 Not bearing seed or fruit. not-comparable
- 3 Of poor fertility, infertile; not producing vegetation; desert, waste.
"barren mountain tracts"
- 4 Devoid, lacking. with-of
"August 28, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to John Gay But schemes are perfectly accidental. Some will appear barren of hints and matter, but prove to be fruitful."
- 5 Devoid of interest or attraction, poor, bleak.
"As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Unproductive, fruitless, unprofitable; empty, hollow, vain.
"brilliant but barren reveries"
- 7 Mentally dull or unproductive; stupid or intellectually fallow.
"Set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too."
Adjective
- 1 completely wanting or lacking wordnet
- 2 not bearing offspring wordnet
- 3 providing no shelter or sustenance wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The trees are barren or bear only small fruit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "barren"?
Common synonyms include: desolate, abortive, acarpous, arid, arid ground, arid soil.
How do you use "barren" in a sentence?
The trees are barren or bear only small fruit.
How do you pronounce "barren"?
Pronounced /ˈbæɹən/.
Etymology
From Middle English bareyne, from Anglo-Norman baraigne, baraing (“sterile; barren”), of obscure origin; probably from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *baʀ (“bare; barren”), from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare”). If so, a doublet of bare.