sterility

[ stuh-ril-i-tee ]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. the fact or condition of not producing vegetation; barrenness:

   Effects of desertification include land degradation, soil sterility and erosion, and loss of biodiversity.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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 Words From

• an·ti·ste·ril·i·ty noun
• non·ste·ril·i·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sterility¹

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin sterilitāt-, stem of sterilitās, equivalent to sterili(s) “barren, unfruitful” + -tās -ty ²( def ); sterile ( def )

Example Sentences

In my longing for the college experience, in all its stressful late-night glory, what once looked like ugly dorm buildings and sterile labs seem lovely.

From MIT Technology Review

Vaccine vials require a specific type of glass that can tolerate low temperatures and remain sterile, and there may not be enough of this glass to go around right away.

From Vox

All they would really need, if it’s proven effective, would be a supply of high-antibody-titer plasma from recovered patients, a freezer for the blood products, and a safe site for sterile infusions.

From Fortune

Moving from cold sterile labs to the outside world, the team then asked whether media multitasking disrupts memory recall—and whether attention lapses are to blame.

From Singularity Hub 

A 2018 state inspection found the pharmacy staff at the Culver City hospital had for months ignored findings of “fungal air growth,” “bacterial organisms” and mold in equipment used to mix patient medications in a sterile environment.

From ProPublica

Six months of sterility results, after which normal fertility returns.

From The Daily Beast

Thus, despite having no evidence to support it, they cite sterility as the more likely explanation.

From The Daily Beast

At the CLWC, a reporter was told by an adviser that an abortion carried various risks, including “sterility”.

From The Daily Beast

They already understood, argued Hayden, “the sterility of liberals.”

From The Daily Beast

In adults, lead overload can lead to miscarriages and birth defects, as well as sterility.

From The Daily Beast

We saw enough of it however to be convinced of its perfect sterility.

From Project Gutenberg

And what is the result of that—you have paralyzed all your activities, you have condemned your intellectual life to sterility!

From Project Gutenberg

A too strong ardour is often attended with sterility; and the female mule is at least as ardent as the she-ass.

From Project Gutenberg

The he and she-ass, therefore, both incline to sterility by common and also by different qualities.

From Project Gutenberg

The she-ass, and the female mule, therefore, incline to sterility by their over-heat.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• impotence
• infertility