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.
Infertile couples from all over the world flocked to get treatment at a facility the Joneses founded at Eastern Virginia in 1979, the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine.
From New York Times • Jul. 31, 2015
The Doctors Infertile couples; a man uses Twitter to combat memory loss; hidden sugar in foods.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2014
Q. Infertile girlfriend: My amazing girlfriend of four years has been told that she will never have biological children.
From Slate • Mar. 19, 2012
Infertility prostate cancer clue By Helen Briggs Health reporter, BBC News Infertile men may have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, US data suggests.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2010
Infertile, not producing seed, or pollen, as the case may be.
From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa
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.
