infertile

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adjective in·fer·tile \(ˈ)in-ˈfər-t^əl\

Definition of infertile

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

infertility

play \ˌin-(ˌ)fər-ˈti-lə-tē\ noun

See infertile defined for English-language learners

See infertile defined for kids

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 of infertile from the Web

A researcher team working to perfect 3D–printed ovaries for infertile women have successfully tested their creation in mice.

— walt bonner, Fox News, "3D-printed ovaries enable infertile mice to give birth", 23 May 2017
The name comes from a local legend that infertile women who trek through the island's dense forest and bathe in its mystical lake will be able to have children.

— ronan o'connell, CNN, "Langkawi jet ski tours: The coolest way to see Malaysia's most beautiful islands", 10 May 2017
The prescient sci-fi drama, adapted from Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian classic, stars Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss as Offred, a woman who is enslaved and forced to bear children for a military commander and his infertile wife.

— patrick ryan, USA TODAY, "Hulu to tell second season of 'Handmaid's Tale,' adds Marvel series", 3 May 2017
Now her mission is to copulate with the Commander, Fred Waterford, while lying in the lap of his infertile wife (Yvonne Strahovski).

— kathryn shattuck, New York Times, "What’s on TV Wednesday: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘Gomorrah’", 26 Apr. 2017
Wives, Daughters, Aunts, Marthas, Econowives, and Handmaids live to serve their male counterparts; their free will and reproductive rights have been stripped in an attempt to restore life and order to the mostly infertile republic.

— vanityfair.com, "The Handmaid's Tale", 24 Apr. 2017
Wives, Daughters, Aunts, Marthas, Econowives, and Handmaids live to serve their male counterparts; their free will and reproductive rights have been stripped in an attempt to restore life and order to the mostly infertile republic.

— jamie lincoln, HWD, "The Handmaid’s Tale: The Hidden Meaning in Those Eerie Costumes", 24 Apr. 2017
Meanwhile, in Pakistan and Afghanistan, health workers are regularly targeted because vaccines are thought to be a Western plot to make Muslims infertile.

— National Geographic, "The Strange History of Vaccines—And Why People Fear Them", 26 Feb. 2017
The Nature Conservancy considered nonlethal methods like giving contraceptives to the swine, but that would just get you an island of hell-raising, infertile pigs—

— matt simon, WIRED, "To Save an Endangered Fox, Humans Turned Its Home Into a War Zone", 14 Aug. 2016

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.

Origin and Etymology of infertile

Middle French, from Late Latin infertilis, from Latin in- + fertilis fertile

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First Known Use: 1597

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INFERTILE Defined for English Language Learners

infertile

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adjective

Definition of infertile for English Language Learners

: not able to reproduce : not able to produce children, young animals, etc.
: not suited for raising crops : unable to support the growth of plants

INFERTILE Defined for Kids

infertile

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adjective in·fer·tile \in-ˈfər-t^əl\

Definition of infertile for Students

: not fertile infertile soil

Medical Dictionary

infertile

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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 1