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.
On Wednesday a judge ordered PPE Medpro to repay £122m as the gowns it supplied did not meet sterility certification standards.
From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025
Where the aged tree’s limbs once exploded into violet, singed branches crisscrossed in colorless sterility like an unfinished painting.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2025
It’s the expansion of commercial and residential properties, the simmering poison of pesticides and herbicides, the near-bald lawns over-mowed to sterility, the noxious blasts of hateful-white LED streetlights.
From Salon • May 10, 2024
Most recently, drug company Brassica Pharma recalled four eye ointments sold in stores, including Walmart and CVS, after a Food and Drug Administration inspection flagged potential sterility issues.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2024
In contrast, a chemical that would produce 90 per cent sterility would leave only 12 5 insects alive.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
