infertile
Americanadjective
adjective
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not capable of producing offspring; sterile
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(of land) not productive; barren
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Not capable of reproducing.
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Not capable of developing into a complete organism, as infertile eggs.
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Relating to soil or land that is not capable of supporting or is unfavorable to the growth of plants.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of infertile
From the Latin word infertilis, dating back to 1590–1600. See in- 3, fertile
Explanation
Someone who's infertile isn't able to have children. Plants and animals, as well as humans, are sometimes infertile and can't reproduce naturally. People who are trying to have a baby may find they're unable to because one of them is infertile, or not able to conceive. A woman who's infertile may instead be unable to carry a baby to term. Infertile is a French word, from the Latin infertilis, "unfruitful," from the roots in-, "not," and fertilis, "bearing in abundance."
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.
Online sleuthing leads Evy and Justin to a demonic creature that causes miscarriages and stillbirths: Abyzou, the bitter spirit of an infertile woman who visits chaos upon other pregnancies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Sperm donation allows women to become mothers when it might not otherwise be possible - if their partner is infertile, they're in a same-sex relationship, or parenting solo.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
Carrillo, 46, had been told by doctors years ago that she was infertile.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
After these infernos, invasive grasses often took over in hardened, infertile soils.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2025
They were herdsmen, scraping out a living on rocky and infertile land.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
