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⇱ barren - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

barren

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈbærən/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈbærən/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(bar′ən)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
bar•ren /ˈbærən/USA pronunciation   adj. 
  1. not producing offspring;
    sterile.
  2. not able to grow crops: barren fields.
  3. [before a noun] not producing results;
    fruitless: a barren effort.
  4. unable to interest or attract: a barren period in architecture.
bar•ren•ly, adv. 
bar•ren•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
bar•ren  (bar′ən),USA pronunciation adj. 
  1. not producing or incapable of producing offspring;
    sterile:a barren woman.
  2. unproductive;
    unfruitful:barren land.
  3. without capacity to interest or attract:a barren period in American architecture.
  4. mentally unproductive;
    dull;
    stupid.
  5. not producing results;
    fruitless:a barren effort.
  6. destitute;
    bereft;
    lacking (usually fol. by of ):barren of tender feelings.

n. 
  1. Usually, barrens. level or slightly rolling land, usually with a sandy soil and few trees, and relatively infertile.
  • Celtic, compare Welsh braenar, Irish branar fallow land, but derivational details unclear
  • 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; appar
  • Middle English bareyn(e), barayn(e) 1200–50
bar′ren•ly, adv. 
bar′ren•ness, n. 
    1. childless, unprolific, infertile. 2. infertile, depleted, waste. See bare 1. 5. ineffectual, ineffective.
    1. –6. fertile.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
barren /ˈbærən/ adj
  1. incapable of producing offspring, seed, or fruit; sterile: a barren tree
  2. unable to support the growth of crops, etc; unproductive; bare: barren land
  3. lacking in stimulation or ideas; dull
  4. not producing worthwhile results; unprofitable: a barren period in a writer's life
  5. (followed by of) totally lacking (in); devoid (of): his speech was barren of wit
  6. (of rock strata) having no fossils
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French brahain, of uncertain originˈbarrenness n
'barren' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: the landscape is barren, the [fire, lumber industry] left the landscape barren, is barren of [trees, vegetation], more...

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