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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

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When produced and released in large numbers, sterile male flies mate with wild female flies, which then lay unfertilized eggs, according to the USDA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026

He assumed the eggs were unfertilized until one night in February, when, while cleaning the tank, he picked one up and examined it closely.

From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024

Its biggest lesson now is on the process of parthenogenesis: a type of asexual reproduction in which offspring develop from unfertilized eggs, meaning there is no genetic contribution by a male.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024

While in utero, the embryonic sharks might feed on unfertilized eggs for protein.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2024

A tilled, fertilized, watered, weeded garden provides growing conditions very different from those on a dry, unfertilized hillside.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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