BARREN Synonyms: 194 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'barren' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of barren are bald , bare , naked , and nude . While all these words mean "deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering," barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility. // barren plains

Q: When can 'bald' be used instead of 'barren'?

The synonyms bald and barren are sometimes interchangeable, but bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness. // a bald mountain peak

Q: When might 'bare' be a better fit than 'barren'?

The words bare and barren are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable. // an apartment with bare walls

Q: When could 'naked' be used to replace 'barren'?

While in some cases nearly identical to barren , naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness. // poor half- naked children

Q: Where would 'nude' be a reasonable alternative to 'barren'?

The words nude and barren can be used in similar contexts, but nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure. // a nude model posing for art students

barren 1 of 2

adjective

ˈber-ən

Definition of barren

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

as in sterile

not able to produce fruit or offspring the pear tree appears to be barren

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

barren

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective barren differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of barren are bald, bare, naked, and nude. While all these words mean "deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering," barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.

barren plains

When can bald be used instead of barren?

The synonyms bald and barren are sometimes interchangeable, but bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.

a bald mountain peak

When might bare be a better fit than barren?

The words bare and barren are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable.

an apartment with bare walls

When could naked be used to replace barren?

While in some cases nearly identical to barren, naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness.

poor half-naked children

Where would nude be a reasonable alternative to barren?

The words nude and barren can be used in similar contexts, but nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure.

a nude model posing for art students

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of barren

Adjective

Pollinators and birds have found a welcoming haven here, is a spot that was previously barren, rocky ground. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 The 80-kilometer stretch between Abu Dhabi and Dubai — a barren expanse of farms, factories, warehouses, and not much else — is now drawing multibillion-dollar property projects. — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026 What’s less normal is how barren Colorado’s mountain peaks got this summer, with some melting completely. — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 In one of these journals, called Notebook B, there is an incidental sketch, a few scratched lines like the barren twigs of a winter tree. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barren

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren

Adjective

The road that leads to the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women is long and desolate.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
As filmmakers, they were drawn to the unexpected beauty of the desolate, postindustrial landscape.

— Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of desolate

Adjective

The government has a longstanding program to breed sterile male flies and drop swarms of them from planes to mate with wild females, causing the flies to die out.

— Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
The 46-year-old was ushered into a sterile room for her appointment, her phone lit up with a text.

— Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of sterile

Adjective

Dean Riley, 62, was pronounced dead at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise after lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, according to the coroner’s office.

— Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
While not all lawsuits filed against small businesses are valid, even an unsuccessful lawsuit can cause major business disruptions and result in costly legal fees.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsuccessful

Noun

From desolate deserts to cut-off civilisations, wild and remote destinations are emerging as the places travellers will be talking about most in 2027.

— Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
But their luck evaporated in the desert, where the Diamondbacks discovered some magic of their own.

— Don Riddell, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of desert

Adjective

The impoverished Reds work as slave labor in the mines of Mars, while the super-strong Golds rule the solar system and war on each other.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Prosecutors accuse him of participating in schemes to divert hundreds of millions of dollars from Venezuelan government programs intended to provide housing, food and other necessities to the country’s impoverished population.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of impoverished

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barrels

barren

barrenness

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“Barren.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barren. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of barren

adjective

noun

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