# barren

/ˈbæɹən/ (US) · /bˈæɹən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/barren
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. land/soil

adjective · CEFR B2

describing land that is too poor for plants or crops to grow on.

For teachers: referring to land or soil that is infertile and incapable of producing vegetation.

- The explorers struggled to find water in the barren desert.
- The volcanic landscape remained barren for decades before the first hardy lichens began to colonise the cooling rock.

### 2. empty or lacking

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

completely lacking in something, such as interest, ideas, or life.

For teachers: devoid of something specified; lacking in interest, attraction, or substance.

- The room was barren of any furniture except for a single wooden chair.
- His early novels were criticized for being barren of emotional depth, focusing instead on technical descriptions of machinery.

Usage: Usually followed by the preposition 'of'.

### 3. unproductive

adjective · CEFR B2

not producing any useful results or success.

For teachers: fruitless or unprofitable; failing to produce a desired result or effect.

- After hours of barren discussion, the committee still had no plan.
- The team endured a barren spell of fifteen games without a single goal, leading to the manager's eventual dismissal.

### 4. unable to have children

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

unable to produce children or young.

For teachers: biologically incapable of producing offspring or fruit.

- The old stories tell of a queen who was barren and prayed for a child.
- The orchard remained barren for three seasons due to a persistent fungal infection that destroyed the blossoms before they could set fruit.

Teaching tip: In modern medical contexts, 'infertile' is preferred; 'barren' can sound insensitive or dated when referring to people.

### 5. desolate land

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · American English

a large area of poor land where only small bushes or grass can grow.

For teachers: an expanse of relatively infertile land, often elevated, that supports only stunted vegetation.

- They hiked across the pine barrens for two days without seeing another person.
- The coastal barrens are home to a unique variety of shrubs that have adapted to the salty winds and nutrient-poor soil.

## Examples

- The desert is a barren place with no trees.
- Farmers struggled to grow crops in the barren soil after the long drought.
- The once-vibrant city center had become a barren landscape of abandoned shops and silent streets.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.