Barren Is a Word to Use Carefully About People
Barren means unable to produce growth or offspring. Applied to land it is neutral; applied to a person it is not.
Barren means incapable of producing crops, offspring or results. Of land it is an ordinary descriptive word. Of people it is not: it was applied for centuries almost exclusively to women, carried heavy blame, and is now avoided in medicine and journalism in favour of *infertile* or a description of the specific condition.
- Unable to produce vegetation. *Barren rock.*
- Unproductive. *A barren discussion.*
- Unable to bear offspring (dated and hurtful of people). *A barren season for the flock.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | barren | Barren ground. |
| Noun | barrenness | The barrenness of the plain. |
| Related | infertile | Infertile soil. |
| Related | arid | An arid region. |
| Opposite | fertile | Fertile land. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The hillside is barren above the treeline.Landscape.
- A barren period for the club.Figurative: without trophies.
- Doctors say infertility, not barrenness.Modern medical language.
Preferred alternatives about people
- Infertile — the neutral clinical term
- Experiencing infertility — used where a condition may be temporary
- Childless — describes a situation, not a cause
- Childfree — describes a choice
- Barren — best reserved for land and figurative use
From Old French *baraigne*, of uncertain origin. It entered English in the thirteenth century applied to both land and living things.
Is barren offensive?
When applied to a person, yes, in most contexts. It carries centuries of blame directed at women. Infertile is the neutral term.
Barren or arid?
Arid means dry. Barren means unproductive, which may be due to cold, rock or poor soil rather than lack of rain.