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barren

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barren

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++
Related topics: Birth
bar·ren /ˈbærən/ ●○○ adjective  1 TAGROW PLANTS, VEGETABLES ETCland or soil that is barren has no plants growing on it 贫瘠的,荒芜的 Thousands of years ago the surface was barren desert. 很久很久以前,地面还是一片荒漠。2. MB old-fashioned unable to produce children or baby animals – used of a woman or of female animals 〔妇女或雌性动物〕不孕的,不育的 SYN infertile OPP fertile3. HBPa tree or plant that is barren does not produce fruit or seeds 不结果实的,不结籽的4 used to describe something that does not look interesting or attractive 沉闷无趣的,没有吸引力的 The sports hall was a rather barren concrete building. 体育馆是一幢了无生气的混凝土建筑。5 FAILused to describe a period of time during which you do not achieve anything or get any useful results 〔一段时间〕不出成绩的;无效果的 I scored five in the first seven games, but I’ve had a bit of a barren patch since then. 我在头七场比赛中进了五个球,但是后来一段时间就一直交白卷。
Examples from the Corpus
barrenSir Thomas Blount's half-hearted investigation into Amy's death was absolutely barren.The future looked bleak and barren.a barren apartment in a poor areaLacking its tumultuously fruitful influence, our mental lives would be almost as barren as the moon.a pointless and barren discussionThe huge structures have endless corridors, barren hallways like tunnels that turn back upon themselves, leading nowhere.the barren hillsides after the fireIntense heat had created a completely barren landscape, almost like the moon.Now a Victorian church stands amid the barren Moor, a mute reminder of the lonely hamlet's more romantic past.From the approach Amantani looked barren, rocky and sparsely inhabited.the rocky, barren slopes of the mountainLater the level was taken off left and right along this, only to be proved a barren string.
Origin barren (1100-1200) Old French baraine
bar·ren adjectiveChineseSyllable
growing or soil has plants on no is barren land that Corpus


barren
barren /ˈbærən/ adjective
 Date: 1100-1200
 Language: Old French
 Origin: baraine
1. land or soil that is barren has no plants growing on it:
    Thousands of years ago the surface was barren desert.
2. old-fashioned unable to produce children or baby animals – used of a woman or of female animals
   SYN  infertile
   OPP  fertile
3. a tree or plant that is barren does not produce fruit or seeds
4. used to describe something that does not look interesting or attractive:
    The sports hall was a rather barren concrete building.
5. used to describe a period of time during which you do not achieve anything or get any useful results:
    I scored five in the first seven games, but I’ve had a bit of a barren patch since then.


bar·renBrE /ˈbærən/ 🔊NAmE /ˈbærən/ 🔊 adjective(of land or soil 土地或土壤) not good enough for plants to grow on it 贫瘠的;不毛的a barren desert不毛的沙漠a barren landscape (= one that is empty, with few plants) 寸草不生的荒凉景色

barren, fertile, landscape, lush, mountainous, rolling, rugged, undulate, volcanic, wooded

(of plants or trees 花草树木) not producing fruit or seeds 不结果实的 SYN infertile (old-fashioned or formal) (of women or female animals 女人或雌性动物) not able to produce children or young animals 不育的;不孕的 SYN infertile [usually before noun] not producing anything useful or successful 无益的;无效果的The team will come through this barren patch and start to win again. 这个队将会在经历这段低潮时期之后再创佳绩。🔊🔊
bar·ren·ness BrE /ˈbærənnəs/ 🔊NAmE /ˈbærənnəs/ 🔊 noun [uncountable]