infertile
adjective
in·fer·tile
(ˈ)in-ˈfər-tᵊl 
: not fertile or productive
infertile eggs
infertile fields
especially
: incapable of or unsuccessful in achieving pregnancy
infertile couples
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 2023, while at Weill Cornell Medicine, Balbach helped drive the discovery that blocking another crucial sperm enzyme made mice temporarily infertile, initially raising the potential for a non-hormonal male birth control.
—
Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Queen wasps can live up to a year, while worker wasps, infertile females that build and defend the nest, live two to three weeks.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025
The procedure is similar to one performed on infertile living men.
—Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
Scientists have created human eggs containing genes from adult skin cells, a step that someday could help women who are infertile or gay couples have babies with their own genes but would also raise difficult ethical, social and legal issues.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infertile
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Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Queen wasps can live up to a year, while worker wasps, infertile females that build and defend the nest, live two to three weeks.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025
The procedure is similar to one performed on infertile living men.
—Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
Scientists have created human eggs containing genes from adult skin cells, a step that someday could help women who are infertile or gay couples have babies with their own genes but would also raise difficult ethical, social and legal issues.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infertile
Cite this Entry
“Infertile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infertile. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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Medical Definition
infertile
adjective
in·fer·tile
(ˈ)in-ˈfərt-ᵊl
: 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
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