B2adjectivenatureenvironment
US/ˈber.ən/
UK/ˈbær.ən/
too dry or poor for plants to grow; with very few plants or trees
In context
Years of salt water left the fields barren and impossible to farm.
The surface of Mars is a cold, barren desert of red rock and dust.
Volunteers turned a barren hillside into a small forest within ten years.
Words that go with barren
adjective + noun
- barren landMany farmers left the barren land and moved to the city.
- barren landscapeThe train crossed a barren landscape with no trees in sight.
- barren desertFew animals can survive in such a barren desert.
- barren hillsideGoats wandered across the barren hillside looking for grass.
- barren soilNothing will grow in this barren soil without compost and water.
- barren rockThe island is little more than barren rock and seabirds.