fertile

adjective

fer·​tile ˈfər-tᵊl 

chiefly British

-ˌtī(-ə)l 

1

a

: producing or bearing many crops in great quantities : productive

fertile fields of corn and oats

b

: characterized by great resourcefulness of thought or imagination : inventive

a fertile mind

c

obsolete : plentiful

2

a(1)

: capable of sustaining abundant plant growth

fertile soil

(2)

: affording abundant possibilities for growth or development

… damp bathrooms are fertile ground for fungi …

—Consumer Reports

a fertile area for research

b

: capable of growing or developing

a fertile egg

c(1)

: capable of producing fruit

fertile trees

(2)

of an anther : containing pollen

(3)

: developing spores or spore-bearing organs

d

: capable of breeding or reproducing

3

: capable of being converted into fissionable material

fertile uranium 238

fertilely

ˈfər-tᵊl-(l)ē 

adverb

fertileness

ˈfər-tᵊl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of fertile

• prolific
• rich

Choose the Right Synonym for fertile

fertile, fecund, fruitful, prolific mean producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit.

fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth

fertile soil

; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development.

a fertile imagination

fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring.

a fecund herd

fruitful adds to fertile and fecund the implication of desirable or useful results.

fruitful research

prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction.

a prolific writer

Examples of fertile in a Sentence

an area that is a fertile breeding ground for political extremism

This subject remains a fertile field for additional investigation.

He has a fertile mind.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the intellectual self-questioning and anguished artistic experimentation that began in the early twentieth century after the annihilation of Europe’s old verities did not find fertile ground in the United States, either before the war or after it. —Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

Tucked away in south-central Washington, about 145 miles southeast of Seattle, the Yakima Valley stretches across fertile farmland framed by rolling hills, basalt ridges, and the winding Yakima River. —Vivian Chung, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2025

Large, messy sunspots that mingle or merge are especially fertile sites for flare-ups. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 19 Nov. 2025

Alongside its neighbors Moldova and Romania, and the wider region’s Georgia and Azerbaijan, Ukraine has been fertile winemaking ground for millennia. —Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin fertilis, from ferre to carry, bear — more at bear

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing fertile

• cross-fertile
• fertile soil
• self-fertile

Rhymes for fertile

• hurtle
• kirtle
• myrtle
• turtle
• infertile

Kids Definition

fertile

adjective

fer·​tile ˈfərt-ᵊl 

1

: producing vegetation or crops plentifully : rich

fertile farmland

2

: producing thoughts and ideas abundantly

a fertile mind

3

a

: capable of growing and developing

a fertile seed

b

: capable of reproducing or of producing reproductive cells

a fertile bull

fertile fungal hyphae

fertility

(ˌ)fər-ˈtil-ət-ē

noun

Etymology

Middle English fertile "bearing in abundance, productive," from early French fertile and Latin fertilis (both same meaning), from Latin ferre "to bear, carry, yield, produce" — related to defer entry 1, transfer

Medical Definition

fertile

adjective

fer·​tile

ˈfərt-ᵊl, chiefly British ˈfər-ˌtīl

1

: capable of growing or developing

fertile egg

2

: developing spores or spore-bearing organs

3

a

: capable of breeding or reproducing

b

of an estrous cycle : marked by the production of one or more viable eggs