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
Prosecutors said that none of the testing and analysis done was a fertility test and none of the expert witnesses testified to the sperm being infertile.
—
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine estimates that fewer than a quarter of infertile couples have access to treatment.
—Madison Chapman, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for infertile
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Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine estimates that fewer than a quarter of infertile couples have access to treatment.
—Madison Chapman, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for infertile
Cite this Entry
“Infertile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infertile. Accessed 17 Nov. 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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