barren

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adjective

1. Unable to produce offspring: childless, impotent, infertile, sterile, unfruitful. See rich/poor.
2. Lacking or unable to produce growing plants or crops: infertile, sterile, unfruitful, unproductive. See rich/poor.
3. Having no useful result: bootless, fruitless, futile, unavailing, unprofitable, unsuccessful, useless, vain. Idioms: in vain. See thrive/fail/exist, used/unused.
4. Not having a desirable element: destitute, devoid, empty, innocent, lacking, void, wanting. Idioms: in want of. See full/empty/capacity.

noun

A tract of unproductive land. badlands, desert, waste, wasteland, wilderness. See rich/poor.

adj

Definition: sparse, unable to support growth
Antonyms: developing, fecund, fertile, filled, full, growing, productive, useful

adj

Definition: unprofitable
Antonyms: developing, growing, productive, profitable

A sterile condition, in particular the inability of a woman to conceive and bear children. The Bible regards barrenness in both humans and farm animals as a curse, and one of its blessings is: "There shall be no sterile male or female among you, or among your livestock" (Deut. 7:14). Of the four Matriarchs, three--- Sarah, Rebekah<rachel---did not conceive easily. Sarah was 90 years old when she finally bore Isaac; Rebekah was barren for the first 20 years of her marriage, until she finally gave birth to twins; and Rachel, too, did not conceive for many years. Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel, was only blessed with her child after constant prayers and entreaties to God (I Sam. 1). According to the Aggadah, God deliberately withheld children from some of the matriarchs, so that they might pour out their hearts to Him.

The sages considered a childless person to be "as good as dead" (Av. Zar. 5a). A scholar without children was debarred from membership in the Sanhedrin (San. 36b), Maimonides explaining that such a man was "apt to lack tenderheartedness." Barrenness in Jewish law is grounds for divorce and, if a wife has not conceived within the first ten years of marriage, her husband should divorce her (Yev. 64a) so as to marry another woman by whom he will be able to have children (the wife may also remarry). Some later medieval authorities, however, do not require the husband to divorce his wife if she is barren. In polygamous Jewish societies, a man whose wife had not borne children could take a second wife, even without his first wife's consent. Legally, if a woman has not conceived and the couple moves to the Land of Israel, the ten-year period that must elapse before divorce proceedings can be instituted begins afresh from the date they arrive in the Land. Many folk Superstitions developed among barren women in their attempts to become pregnant.

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IN BRIEF: Unable to produce anything.

Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away. — Arthur Helps

Tutor's tip: The doubly unfortunate "baron" (member of nobility) and baroness were "barren" (infertile) and lived in the "barrens" (bleak, poorly forested area; wasteland).

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For a list of words related to barren, see:

• Pregnancy and Birth - barren: (adj) unable to conceive or produce offspring
• Inert, Lazy, Tired, or Insensate
• Contraception and Fertility - barren: (adj) infertile; unable to conceive

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See words rhyming with "barren."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Barren.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - ufrugtbar, gold
n. - ufrugtbar strækning

Nederlands (Dutch)
dor, onvruchtbaar

Français (French)
adj. - stérile, aride, improductif, (fig) stérile, ingrat, sec (un style)
n. - (US) lande(s) (npl)

Deutsch (German)
adj. - kinderlos, (Biol.) (übertr.) unfruchtbar, intellektuell inaktiv
n. - baumloses Land, Ödland

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - άγονος, στείρος, έρημος, χέρσος, ατελέσφορος, χωρίς ενδιαφέρον

Italiano (Italian)
sterile, arido

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - estéril, improdutivo, enfadonho

Русский (Russian)
бесплодный, скучный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - estéril, árido, yermo, infructuoso, seco
n. - tierras yermas

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - ofruktbar, karg, steril, torftig, fattig, tom, naken, resultatlös

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
不生育的, 不妊的, 贫瘠的, 不毛的, 荒芜的, 不结果实的, 无益的, 无效果的, 瘠地, 荒漠

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 不生育的, 不妊的, 貧瘠的, 不毛的, 荒蕪的, 不結果實的, 無益的, 無效果的
n. - 瘠地, 荒漠

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 아이를 낳지 못하는, 불모의, 무기력한
n. - 불모지

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 子を産まない, 不妊の, 実を結ばない, 不毛の, ない, 無益な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) عاقر, عقيم, قاحل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮לא פורה, עקר, דל‬
n. - ‮שממה, אדמה צחיחה‬

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