1
a
: failing to bear or incapable of producing fruit or spores
b
: failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring
a sterile hybrid
c
: incapable of germinating
sterile spores
d
of a flower
: neither perfect nor pistillate
2
a
: unproductive of vegetation
a sterile arid region
b
: free from living organisms and especially pathogenic microorganisms
a sterile syringe
c
: lacking in stimulating emotional or intellectual quality : lifeless
a sterile work of art
Examples of sterile in a Sentence
a sterile dressing for a wound
sterile couples sometimes choose to adopt needy children
Recent Examples on the Web
Beautifully photographed by Greig Fraser, the color palette is warm and colorful, not cold and sterile; Daniel Pemberton’s percussive score is curious, bright and emotionally leading.
—
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026
These can be applied directly to the skin with fingers or sterile cotton swabs.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The aesthetic favors deliberate roughness and mistakes over a sterile, polished sheen.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Lord and Miller, working with the cinematographer Greig Fraser, avoid the conventional visual language of the prestige space epic, with its sterile surfaces and zero-gravity tracking shots.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sterile
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Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026
These can be applied directly to the skin with fingers or sterile cotton swabs.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The aesthetic favors deliberate roughness and mistakes over a sterile, polished sheen.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Lord and Miller, working with the cinematographer Greig Fraser, avoid the conventional visual language of the prestige space epic, with its sterile surfaces and zero-gravity tracking shots.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sterile
Cite this Entry
“Sterile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sterile. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sterile
adjective
ster·ile
ˈster-əl 
1
: not able to produce fruit, crops, or offspring : not fertile
sterile soil
2
: free from microscopic living things and especially germs (as bacteria and viruses)
a sterile dressing for a wound
Medical Definition
sterile
adjective
ster·ile
ˈster-əl, chiefly British -ˌīl
1
: failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring
a sterile hybrid
compare infertile
2
: free from living organisms and especially microorganisms
a sterile syringe
a sterile cyst
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