sterility
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.
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.
the fact or condition of not producing vegetation; barrenness: Effects of desertification include land degradation, soil sterility and erosion, and loss of biodiversity.
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.
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.
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.
Origin of sterility
1- Rarely ster·ile·ness [ster-il-nis] /ˈstɛr ɪl nɪs/ .
Other words from sterility
- an·ti·ste·ril·i·ty, noun
- non·ste·ril·i·ty, noun
Words Nearby sterility
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sterility in a sentence
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.
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.
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.
COVID vaccines won’t come fast enough to save struggling businesses. But plasma might | jakemeth | November 23, 2020 | FortuneMoving 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.
Media Multitasking Is Ruining Our Memory. Can We Fix It? | Shelly Fan | November 3, 2020 | Singularity HubA 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.
Investors Extracted $400 Million From a Hospital Chain That Sometimes Couldn’t Pay for Medical Supplies or Gas for Ambulances | by Peter Elkind with Doris Burke | September 30, 2020 | ProPublica
Six months of sterility results, after which normal fertility returns.
Men, Ice Your Balls To Make Babies—and Other Male Fertility Fixes | Tom Sykes | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThus, despite having no evidence to support it, they cite sterility as the more likely explanation.
What the Sex Lives of the Founding Fathers Reveal About Us | Eric Herschthal | February 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt the CLWC, a reporter was told by an adviser that an abortion carried various risks, including “sterility”.
UK Clinics: Abortion Leads To Sex Abuse And Cancer | The Telegraph | February 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey already understood, argued Hayden, “the sterility of liberals.”
The Revolt Against the Masses and the Roots of Modern Liberalism | Fred Siegel | January 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn adults, lead overload can lead to miscarriages and birth defects, as well as sterility.
We saw enough of it however to be convinced of its perfect sterility.
And what is the result of that—you have paralyzed all your activities, you have condemned your intellectual life to sterility!
Love's Pilgrimage | Upton SinclairA too strong ardour is often attended with sterility; and the female mule is at least as ardent as the she-ass.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de BuffonThe he and she-ass, therefore, both incline to sterility by common and also by different qualities.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de BuffonThe she-ass, and the female mule, therefore, incline to sterility by their over-heat.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
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