infertile

adjective

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

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Synonyms & Antonyms for infertile

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Antonyms

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 In 2017, the district experimented with an approach in which Aedes aegypti were infected with a naturally-occurring bacteria called Wolbachia that renders mosquitoes infertile and unable to carry disease. — Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2021 Male mice have a special sperm variant that poisons competitors in its ejaculatory cohort, but mice with too many such sperm are infertile. — Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2021 As many as 70 percent of koalas might be infected, and 90 percent of those animals are infertile. — Gloria Dickie, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2021 About 20 percent of those eggs don’t hatch or are infertile. — René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, 26 Jan. 2021 What is the one-term for the process by which fertile land becomes infertile desert land -- and that can be caused by drought, deforestation, or poor farmland management? — CNN, 18 Dec. 2020 Of that population, those farthest north were found to have mated earlier than southern herds, a shift that could result in calves being born on infertile land before their mothers could reach areas with abundant vegetation. — Sunset Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020 The actual numbers of infertile Black women remain unclear because so few women of color have been included in infertility research and studies. — Usha Lee Mcfarling, STAT, 14 Oct. 2020 But many Black women simply don’t get referrals to specialists or are told erroneously by their gynecologists that Black women can’t be infertile. — Usha Lee Mcfarling, STAT, 14 Oct. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

6 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Infertile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infertile. Accessed 23 Jun. 2021.

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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