sterile

[ ster-ilor, especially British, -ahyl ]

adjective

1. free from living germs or microorganisms; aseptic:

   Successful operations rely on timely delivery of the sterile surgical instruments needed for each procedure.

2. incapable of producing offspring; not producing offspring.

   Synonyms: unfruitful, infecund

   Antonyms: fertile

3. barren; not producing vegetation:

   Attempts to cultivate the land have failed because of the sterile soil.

   Antonyms: fertile

4. Botany.
   1. noting a plant in which reproductive structures fail to develop.
   2. bearing no stamens or pistils.
5. not productive of results, ideas, etc.; fruitless.
6. lacking vitality, vibrancy, interest, etc.:

   Art can transform an otherwise sterile office into a happy, inspiring, and comforting space.

sterile

/ ˈstɛraɪl; stɛˈrɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

1. unable to produce offspring; infertile
2. free from living, esp pathogenic, microorganisms; aseptic
3. (of plants or their parts) not producing or bearing seeds, fruit, spores, stamens, or pistils
4. lacking inspiration or vitality; fruitless
5. economics (of gold) not being used to support credit creation or an increased money supply

sterile

/ stĕr′əl,stĕr′īl′ /

1. Not able to produce offspring, seeds, or fruit; unable to reproduce.
2. Free from disease-causing microorganisms.

Derived Forms

• ˈsterilely, adverb
• sterility, noun

Other Words From

• ster·ile·ly adverb
• ste·ril·i·ty [st, uh, -, ril, -i-tee], ster·ile·ness noun
• half-ster·ile adjective
• non·ster·ile adjective
• non·ster·ile·ly adverb
• un·ster·ile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sterile¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin sterilis “barren, unfruitful”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sterile¹

C16: from Latin sterilis

Example Sentences

The planet Uranus and its five biggest moons may not be the dead sterile worlds that scientists have long thought.

From BBC

She put her order in, paid $130, and two days later, in August, a package with a vial of white powder, sterile water, and needles arrived in the mail.

From Los Angeles Times

Another method being explored is releasing sterile males in areas where there are pockets of mosquito-spread diseases, he added.

From BBC

They drove around neighborhoods in trucks, dumping millions of sterile male fruit flies from cardboard Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets.

From Los Angeles Times

And yet, for long periods, England were slow, sterile and ponderous, even with the lift of Jack Grealish's early goal.

From BBC

Related Words

• antiseptic
• arid
• barren
• bleak
• desolate
• futile
• hygienic
• impotent
• infertile