infertile

in·fer·tile | \ (ˈ)in-ˈfər-tᵊl

Definition of infertile

: not fertile or productive infertile eggs infertile fields especially : incapable of or unsuccessful in achieving pregnancy infertile couples

Other Words from infertile Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about infertile

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of infertile in a Sentence

an infertile cow is of limited use to a farmer only parched, infertile fields remained after months of drought

Recent Examples on the Web Skating usually works best in the infertile currents of medium- to fast-moving freestone streams. — Dave Hurteau, Field & Stream, "Skate, Skitter, and Twitch Dry Flies for Trout," 26 June 2020 In some regions, the introduction of termites has turned infertile land into cropland within a year. — Scott Elder, National Geographic, "5 vital roles insects play in our ecosystem," 23 Apr. 2020 Still, as many as 80 percent of men who are infertile have low sperm counts. — Hallie Levine, New York Times, "Male Infertility: What to Know and How to Cope," 18 Apr. 2020 But the toxic drugs and radiation used in her treatment were likely to injure her ovaries and leave her infertile. — Meredith Wadman, Science | AAAS, "How women at NIH’s research hospital lost chances at childbearing," 2 Apr. 2020 According to a recent study, most infertile women don’t share their struggle with family or friends. — Anna Goldfarb, New York Times, "What to Say to Someone Struggling With Infertility," 17 Apr. 2020 Shortly after being laid, the infertile and genetically inferior eggs were deftly replaced by keepers with wooden fakes. — Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, "Baby penguins make their waddling debut at SF Zoo," 27 July 2019 Other options were infertile, or even closer to volcanoes than the Colonia Quince de Octubre La Trinidad. — Kevin Sieff, Washington Post, "Under the volcano," 27 Nov. 2019 Forty percent of kakapo eggs are infertile -- most likely as a consequence of inbreeding -- so Digby and his team have turned to technology to boost success rates. — Sarah Lazarus, CNN, "Can tech save the kakapo, New Zealand's 'gorgeous, hilarious' parrot?," 26 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infertile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about infertile

Dictionary Entries near infertile

Statistics for infertile

Last Updated

4 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Infertile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infertile. Accessed 8 Jul. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for infertile

infertile

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of infertile

: not able to reproduce : not able to produce children, young animals, etc.

: not suited for raising crops : unable to support the growth of plants

See the full definition for infertile in the English Language Learners Dictionary

infertile

adjective

in·fer·tile | \ in-ˈfər-tᵊl

Kids Definition of infertile

: not fertile infertile soil

infertile

adjective

in·fer·tile | \ (ˈ)in-ˈfərt-ᵊl

Medical Definition of infertile

: not fertile especially : incapable of or unsuccessful in achieving pregnancy over a considerable period of time (as a year) in spite of determined attempts by heterosexual intercourse without contraception infertile couples an infertile male with a low sperm count an infertile female with blocked fallopian tubes — compare sterile sense 1