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unfertilized

British  
/ ʌnˈfɜːtɪˌlaɪzd /

adjective

  1. (of an animal, plant, or egg cell) not fertilized

    an unfertilized ovum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Ghost most recently laid unfertilized eggs because she did not have a mate.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2025

About 87% of eggs laid in the United States are unfertilized table eggs, according to the Department of Agriculture; the United Egg Producers said 92.6 billion table eggs were produced in 2022.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2024

That explains why Margenot's team found phosphorus and nitrogen leaching were significantly lower under struvite than MAP, comparable to natural leaching measured in unfertilized soils.

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2023

Apparently, instead of finding an alternative mate, Alfie waited and waited and waited — until she finally laid a clutch of unfertilized eggs.

From Salon • Oct. 1, 2023

“All they can do, really, is lay unfertilized drone eggs. They’ll fill up the combs with them, and as the workers naturally die off, there are none to replace them.”

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

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