sterility
Americannoun
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the fact or condition of being free from living germs or microorganisms.
Perhaps the most critical aspect of packaging is the barrier seal that maintains the sterility of the product.
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the fact or condition of being incapable of producing offspring.
A growing body of studies have linked these foods to birth defects, fertility problems, and sterility.
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the fact or condition of not producing vegetation; barrenness.
Effects of desertification include land degradation, soil sterility and erosion, and loss of biodiversity.
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failure to produce results, ideas, etc.; fruitlessness.
One indication of the sterility of the authors’ approach is the lack of any questions for further study emerging from their 400-page book.
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the quality of lacking vitality, vibrancy, interest, etc..
The sterility of the white decor was counterbalanced with woven accents, pops of color, and an eclectic display of handcrafted finds.
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Botany. the inability, or limited ability, of a plant to produce pollen or ova.
The study showed that high temperatures cause male sterility in rice plants.
Other Word Forms
- antisterility noun
- nonsterility noun
Etymology
Origin of sterility
First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin sterilitāt-, stem of sterilitās, equivalent to sterili(s) “barren, unfruitful” + -tās -ty 2 ( def. ); sterile ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The irregularities raised questions about the sterility of the valves, the F.D.A. said.
From New York Times
The company recalled six lots of Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Solution 0.15 percent because at least four bottle caps developed cracks, which could affect the product’s sterility.
From New York Times
Nonetheless, the sterility of this type of warfare, which allowed me to kill Taliban fighters in one moment and finish a half-eaten hamburger lunch the next, was chilling.
From Washington Post
In her early work, Wargelius focused on vaccines as a means of inducing the sterility that would minimize that threat.
From Salon
Misinformation, particularly spread through WhatsApp groups, has led some to believe that the vaccines have side effects like sterility or magnetism.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
