Synonyms of sterile

sterile

adjective

ˈster-əl 

1

as in barren

not able to produce fruit or offspring

sterile couples sometimes choose to adopt needy children

the apple tree turned out to be sterile, never yielding a crop of apples

Synonyms & Similar Words

• barren
• sterilized
• infertile
• impotent
• unfruitful
• fruitless
• altered
• neutered
• emasculated
• castrated
• unproductive
• spayed
• desexed
• gelded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fertile
• fat
• fruitful
• productive
• rich
• prolific
• luxuriant
• enriched
• pregnant
• fecund
• impregnated
• potent
• bearing
• fertilized
• producing
• yielding
• flourishing
• bursting
• blooming
• teeming
• swarming

2

as in sanitary

free from filth, infection, or dangers to health

the hospitals in the war-torn city often lack necessary drugs and sterile surgical supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sanitary
• aseptic
• hygienic
• antibiotic
• germfree
• pristine
• clean
• healthful
• immaculate
• washed
• antiseptic
• stainless
• spotless
• healthy
• antibacterial
• germicidal
• unsullied
• squeaky-clean
• beneficial
• unsoiled
• microbicidal
• unstained
• salubrious
• unpolluted
• pure
• untainted
• spick-and-span
• wholesome
• scrubbed
• bleached
• germproof
• purified
• salutary
• cleansed
• undefiled
• restorative
• whitened
• salutiferous
• taintless
• abluted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unsanitary
• toxic
• insanitary
• infectious
• unhygienic
• poisonous
• pathogenic
• dirty
• dusty
• unsterile
• filthy
• sickening
• unclean
• muddy
• dingy
• stained
• grimy
• sordid
• soiled
• unwashed
• foul
• nasty
• grubby
• pathogenetic
• noxious
• unhealthy
• mucky
• grungy
• germy
• bedraggled
• miasmic
• unwholesome
• polluted
• unhealthful
• unsterilized
• tainted
• uncleanly
• sullied
• draggled
• smirched
• insalubrious
• besmirched
• defiled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sterile

Earlier this year, an open letter from agency leadership warned against using federal funds to buy harm reduction supplies like sterile syringes and pipes, or to distribute test strips for common drug supply contaminants. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026

Specs AccordionItemContainerButton Minimalist and cozy are two words that come to mind when describing the Zixuan daybed, which has a clean silhouette but doesn’t feel sterile thanks to its plump pillows. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2026

Even offspring that survive are usually sterile and have no way of passing on the extra DNA. — Carrie Arnold contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026

Or in the sterile, professional confines of SoFi Stadium, where Jarmond would have the Bruins playing this season if the city of Pasadena hadn’t disputed the move in court. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026