sterile

play

adjective ster·ile \ ˈster-əl , chiefly British -ˌī(-ə)l \

Definition of sterile

1 a :failing to bear or incapable of producing fruit or spores

b :failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring

a sterile hybrid

c :incapable of germinating

sterile spores

d of a flower :neither perfect nor pistillate

2 a :unproductive of vegetation

a sterile arid region

b :free from living organisms and especially pathogenic microorganisms

a sterile syringe

c :lacking in stimulating emotional or intellectual quality :lifeless

a sterile work of art

—

sterilely

play \-ə(l)-lē\ adverb

—

sterility

play \stə-ˈri-lə-tē\ noun

See sterile defined for English-language learners

See sterile defined for kids

Examples of sterile in a Sentence

a sterile dressing for a wound
sterile couples sometimes choose to adopt needy children

Recent Examples of sterile from the Web

Once in place, the balloon device is inflated with a sterile solution, which takes up room in the stomach.

— melissa healy, The Seattle Times, "Deaths after gastric-balloon procedure for obesity investigated by FDA," 10 Aug. 2017
Whether or not the procedure caused the infection here, remember to always check that the tools used are sterile.

— Teen Vogue, "Eyebrow Microblading Allegedly Causes Severe Infection," 2 Aug. 2017
An ant colony, for instance, has a huge number of sterile female workers who help raise the young of a kindred queen.

— ben crair, Bloomberg.com, "The Secret Economic Lives of Animals," 1 Aug. 2017
A normal vasectomy, featuring a doctor and a sterile environment, costs around $500, but a bro-sectomy retreat can cost several thousand dollars.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Women Go to the Bathroom in Groups, Men Go to Get Vasectomies in Groups," 24 July 2017
While at the fast food chain, Theno adopted a food-handling program developed by NASA in the 1960s to ensure sterile food for astronauts.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Food safety scientist who helped turn around Jack in the Box, has died at 66," 10 July 2017
The medicine, sterile talc powder, is used to treat malignant pleural effusion, a disease affecting about 150,000 Americans that involves excessive fluid buildup around the lungs and can cause shortness of breath and chest pain.

— peter loftus, WSJ, "Shortages of Simple Drugs Thwart Treatments," 1 July 2017
Germaphobia is rank in the sterile, continuously vacuumed environments of corporate America.

— adam hurly, GQ, "The Best Hand Creams for a Confident Handshake," 30 June 2017
But most tests rely on antibodies that bind fungal proteins or reading nucleic acids to identify fungi by their genes, thus requiring sterile labs and refrigerated reagents that doctors and farmers in developing countries often don’t have access to.

— ryan cross, Science | AAAS, "How scientists are combatting deadly fungus—with baker’s yeast," 28 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of sterile

Middle English steryle, from Latin sterilis; akin to Goth stairo barren animal, Sanskrit starī sterile cow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

sterile Synonyms

Synonyms

barren, fruitless, impotent, infertile, unfruitful

Antonyms

fat, fertile, fruitful

Related Words

altered, desexed, neutered, sterilized; castrated, emasculated, gelded; spayed; unproductive

Near Antonyms

fecund, luxuriant, productive, prolific; enriched, fertilized, rich; impregnated, pregnant; potent; bearing, producing, yielding; blooming, bursting, flourishing, swarming, teeming

Other Microbiology Terms

pathogen, salmonella, tetanus

STERILE Defined for English Language Learners

sterile

play

adjective

Definition of sterile for English Language Learners

: not able to produce crops or plants
: not able to produce children, young animals, etc.
: not able to grow or develop

STERILE Defined for Kids

sterile

play

adjective ster·ile \ ˈster-əl \

Definition of sterile for Students

1 :not able to produce fruit, crops, or offspring :not fertile

sterile soil

2 :free from living germs

a sterile bandage

Medical Dictionary

sterile

adjective ster·ile \ ˈster-əl, chiefly British -ˌīl \

medical Definition of sterile

1 :failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring

a sterile hybrid

— compare infertile

2 :free from living organisms and especially microorganisms

a sterile syringe

a sterile cyst

—

sterilely

play \-əl-(l)ē\ adverb

—

sterility

play \stə-ˈril-ət-ē\ noun plural -ties

Learn More about sterile

See words that rhyme with sterile Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sterile Spanish Central: Translation of sterile Nglish: Translation of sterile for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sterile for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sterile

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up sterile? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

sterile

Definition of sterile

sterilely

sterility

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of sterile in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sterile from the Web

Origin and Etymology of sterile

sterile Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Microbiology Terms

STERILE Defined for English Language Learners

sterile

Definition of sterile for English Language Learners

STERILE Defined for Kids

sterile

Definition of sterile for Students

Medical Dictionary

sterile

medical Definition of sterile

sterilely

sterility

Learn More about sterile

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066