barren

/ˈbærən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbærən/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈber-ən ˈba-rən/ (ame, mw)

barren — adjective

  • barrenpositive
  • more barrencomparative
  • most barrensuperlative

1. so poor or dry that land grows almost nothing, or a plant bears no fruit or seed

1.形容詞C2
釋義

so poor or dry that land grows almost nothing, or a plant bears no fruit or seeds

例句

After years of overgrazing, the hillside turned barren and gray.

change-of-state: turned barren

Barren soil covered the yard behind the abandoned mining camp.

collocation: barren soil

同義詞
  • arid

    stresses lack of rain more than poor growth

  • infertile

    is more technical for soil that does not produce crops well

  • sterile

    is more formal and can suggest a lifeless environment

  • desolate

    adds a feeling of emptiness or sadness to the scene

反義詞
  • fertile

    means land supports strong plant growth

  • lush

    suggests rich, green plant life

  • productive

    focuses on useful crop output

文法句型

barren land

barren soil

a barren tree

become barren

用法筆記

Usually describes land, fields, hills, or gardens. With plants or trees, it means they do not bear fruit or seeds.

常見錯誤

❌The living room looked barren because it had no chairs.
✅The living room looked bare because it had no chairs.
💡barren is mainly for land, plants, or broader figurative uses, not ordinary furniture.
❌The desert is barrenly hot.
✅The desert is barren and hot.
💡barren is an adjective, not an adverb.

2. unable to have babies or animal offspring

2.形容詞C2
釋義

unable to have babies or animal offspring

例句

The vet confirmed that the mare was barren after the illness.

pattern: be barren

Villagers sold the barren goat because it never produced a kid.

collocation: barren goat

同義詞
  • infertile

    is the usual neutral modern word, especially for people

  • sterile

    sounds more medical or technical

  • childless

    means without children, but not always because of inability

反義詞
  • fertile

    means able to produce babies or young

文法句型

be barren

a barren mare

be called barren

用法筆記

Commoner for animals than for people. In human contexts it can sound old-fashioned, literary, or offensive; infertile is usually the safer modern word.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor said she was barren
✅The doctor said she was infertile.
💡in modern medical English, infertile is more neutral and appropriate for people.
❌The dry season made the cows barren land.
✅The dry season left the land barren.' / 'The cows became barren after the disease.
💡this sense describes animals or people, not the ground.

3. producing no fresh ideas, useful work, or worthwhile result

3.形容詞C2
釋義

producing no fresh ideas, useful work, or worthwhile result

例句

Weeks of barren talks ended with the same broken fence.

collocation: barren talks

The lab had a barren year, discovering nothing after three trials.

time period with no result

同義詞
  • fruitless

    strongly stresses that no useful result came

  • unproductive

    is the broader and more everyday choice

  • sterile

    is more formal and often used for ideas or discussion

  • empty

    can suggest lack of content, but is less precise about results

反義詞
  • fruitful

    means it leads to useful ideas or results

  • productive

    is the everyday opposite for work or effort

  • creative

    focuses on new ideas rather than mere output

文法句型

barren talks

a barren year

remain barren

barren imagination

用法筆記

Often used for talks, efforts, periods, or imagination that fail to produce anything valuable. Distinguish from adjective/1, which is the literal sense for land or plants.

常見錯誤

❌The hill was barren because the meeting failed.
✅The talks were barren because the meeting failed.
💡this sense is figurative and describes activity, ideas, or effort, not physical land.
❌My afternoon was barren because I felt tired.
✅My afternoon was unproductive because I felt tired.' / 'The research period was barren because no new evidence appeared.
💡barren here usually suggests a stronger, more formal lack of result.

barren — noun