1. Producing no offspring, childless: The couple decided to adopt a child when they realized that she was barren.
2. Sterile, unable to produce heirs or off spring: Farmer John was cheated when he bought the barren cow which could not have any calves.
3. Lacking vegetation; unproductive land, unfruitful, depleted, desolate: No one could raise crops on this barren land.
4. Referring to something that is useless; uninteresting, dull, or uninformative: Mr. Evans presented a barren topic which was not worth any further consideration.