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
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. ); see 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 settings do not merely suggest sterility but concentrate the mind on the performers’ fascinating countenances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Friedkin’s movie shifted people’s perceptions about fear and played with longstanding ideas about the nuclear family and religious ideology, themes that were starting to be contested and debated as America moved further from ’50s-era sterility.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Last month a court ruled the company breached a contract to supply medical gowns during the Covid pandemic because they did not meet certification requirements for sterility.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025
Bana was intoxicated by his environment — so much so that he wouldn’t want to go back to the sterility of a soundstage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025
I felt drawn by professionalism to the edge of sterility, capable of no more than pedantic, lifeless, unassailable prose.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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