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

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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

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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

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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

Rather than building on barren deserts, developers often claimed rich grasslands and farms, replacing vital bird habitats with concrete and glass. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026 As more fertile land degrades into dry, barren desert, the meeting is workshopping climate solutions using its key anti-desertification treaty, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 19 Aug. 2026 Despite being named after a mineral that’s most often found in barren deserts, turquoise nails are making a splash this summer. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 17 Aug. 2026 In his experimental doc, Wadimoff has the Palestinian refugees recreate the experiences of their escape from Gaza on a barren stage marked out by chalk outlines, in the style of Lars von Trier’s Dogville. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barren

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barren

Adjective

Exploring Indonesia—an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands—over more than a decade has led me to some truly jaw-dropping beaches, some gloriously desolate, others vibrantly alive with international travelers, expats, and locals.

— Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2026
Noisemaker feels a genuine kinship with the Gallico story, including its setting, a desolate stretch of coastline in eastern England.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of desolate

Adjective

That ability to learn may ultimately separate successful defenders from unsuccessful ones.

— Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
The five unsuccessful trials shared a condition of the test rig rather than indicating a failure of the recovery logic.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsuccessful

Noun

Thousands of people began flooding through the entrance gates at midnight for the annual event in which participants create Black Rock City from scratch in the desert about 80 miles north of Reno.

— Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Pressing the Gravity’s DreamDrive button (located on the steering wheel), for instance, drove me from the Northridge area in northwest Los Angeles to the high desert north of Castaic, California (about a 25-mile drive).

— Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of desert

Adjective

But perhaps the most impressive thing the seemingly tireless Parton did during her 80 years was donate much of her wealth to impoverished communities.

— Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
The loosened restrictions will not empower Washington to pursue investment and economic cooperation with al Sharaa’s government, which could transform the impoverished country.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of impoverished

Adjective

In sick bay, M’Benga tries to remove the table and end his life so Chapel can give up on him, an effort that proves futile.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Its storyline spins the futile, determined chase of Wile to one day capture Roadrunner as something admirable, and applies that underdog mentality to the average person trying to navigate a late capitalist landscape that values profits over people.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of futile

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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 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of barren

adjective

noun

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