barrenest
Least fertile land
Barrenest is the superlative of barren—the most barren.
Land that is barrenest supports no plant life whatsoever.
A period that is barrenest yields nothing of value: Those were the barrenest years of his creative life.
The form is somewhat literary; "most barren" serves in everyday speech.
Free from microorganisms
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
- aridDevoid of water
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- unfertileUnable to produce life
unfruitful · fallow · parched · desiccated · drought-stricken · unyielding · impoverished · depleted
Lacking any covering
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
- minimalSmallest amount needed
- plainBasic and unremarkable
- emptyHolding nothing inside
stripped · stark · austere · unembellished · simple · blank · clean · uncluttered
Severe and unadorned
- grimHarsh and foreboding
- harshUnpleasantly severe or rough
- inhospitableUnwelcoming, harsh to visitors
- cheerlessDevoid of mirth
dreary · dismal · gloomy · somber · austere · forbidding · unforgiving · cold
Uninhabitable barren region
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- abandonedLeft behind completely
- desertedLeft behind, uninhabited
uninhabited · isolated · lonely · ghostly · ruins · neglected · windswept · godforsaken
sterile
Free from microorganisms
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
- aridDevoid of water
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
unfertile · unfruitful · fallow · parched · desiccated · drought-stricken · unyielding · impoverished · depleted · exhausted
bare
Lacking any covering
empty · stripped · stark · austere · unembellished · simple · blank · clean · uncluttered · undecorated
stark
Severe and unadorned
- grimHarsh and foreboding
- harshUnpleasantly severe or rough
- inhospitableUnwelcoming, harsh to visitors
cheerless · dreary · dismal · gloomy · somber · austere · forbidding · unforgiving · cold · desolate
wasteland
Uninhabitable barren region
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- abandonedLeft behind completely
deserted · uninhabited · isolated · lonely · ghostly · ruins · neglected · windswept · godforsaken · remote