ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Words›B›barren
ISEE/SSATmedium
barren
lacking vegetation or the ability to produce crops
Synonyms
- desolate
Antonyms
- fertile
- fruitful
- lush
barren in a sentence
Nothing grew across the barren stretch of desert for over a hundred miles.
Explorers described the plateau as barren, with no trees, rivers, or wildlife anywhere in sight.
Where it comes from
From Old French baraigne 'sterile, unfruitful'
Memory hook
BARREN sounds like bare — a bare land with nothing growing on it.
Read it in context
- The Thursday Exchange Social Science