sterile

[ster-il, -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

1. Not able to produce offspring, seeds, or fruit; unable to reproduce.

2. Free from disease-causing microorganisms.

Other Word Forms

• sterilely adverb
• sterility noun
• sterileness noun
• half-sterile adjective
• nonsterile adjective
• nonsterilely adverb
• unsterile 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

And unlike more conventional fairs, with sterile environments and white booth after white booth, the venue worked particularly well.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

She also notes that AI messages can be emotionally sterile and make communication feel scripted, which can be unnerving to receive.

Read more on BBC

The High Court judgement said the government later ordered 25 million sterile gowns from Medpro, which were delivered in August and October 2020, after being manufactured in China.

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Inside there’s a sense of calm, order and welcome — flying in the face of what is, in many cases, a sterile, institutional environment.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The agency also said it would build a sterile-fly production facility at Edinburg, Texas, which is close to the Mexico border, and would be able to produce up to 300 million sterile flies per week.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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