1
as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring
an infertile cow is of limited use to a farmer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
only parched, infertile fields remained after months of drought
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Recent Examples of infertile
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
The contraceptive is formulated for rats and mice, so other animals would have to eat very large amounts to be rendered infertile, and even then, the effect would be reversible, according to Wisdom Good Works founder Loretta Mayer, who spoke at a recent webinar hosted by the Chicago Bird Alliance.
—Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
When lions and tigers mate in zoos, their liger cubs have suffered heart failure and other health problems (and the males seem uniformly infertile).
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 31 July 2025
Livestock shipments had been halted in November The Agriculture Department eradicated the NWS parasite in 1966 by releasing sterile male flies and pupae to eventually lead to infertile screwworm flies, according to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for infertile
Rob Stein, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
The contraceptive is formulated for rats and mice, so other animals would have to eat very large amounts to be rendered infertile, and even then, the effect would be reversible, according to Wisdom Good Works founder Loretta Mayer, who spoke at a recent webinar hosted by the Chicago Bird Alliance.
—Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
When lions and tigers mate in zoos, their liger cubs have suffered heart failure and other health problems (and the males seem uniformly infertile).
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 31 July 2025
Livestock shipments had been halted in November The Agriculture Department eradicated the NWS parasite in 1966 by releasing sterile male flies and pupae to eventually lead to infertile screwworm flies, according to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for infertile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infertile
Adjective
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Rockets and satellites were historically mostly built in massive, sterile places where engineers in Tyvek suits moved cautiously around intricate components.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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Intelligence Profiles That Foster Innovation At GAIME Conference, creativity is the focus, not sterile conference rooms.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Whatever your candy preference, no one wants to spend the evening strolling barren streets hoping to find some goodies.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
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An arid, barren landscape with extreme temperature swings from 45 to -40 degrees Celsius (113 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Bir Tawil, for instance — a desolate parcel of desert on the Egyptian-Sudanese border.—
Richard Collett,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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To find the killer, Sherlock Holmes and Watson will have to brave desolate moors before a family curse dooms the newest heirs.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The film, which world premiered in the Berlinale’s Perspectives sidebar, follows an impoverished but determined family put to test when the father, who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is accused of murder.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
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Sanctions have crippled the government’s primary source of revenue, oil exports, limiting the state’s ability to provide for millions of impoverished Iranians through social safety nets.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The apology came after a sustained campaign by historians and activists who argued that the victims were persecuted for being poor, vulnerable, or simply different.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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As has Mark Flekken, the new goalkeeper, who moved from Brentford and is fortunate not to have lost his place due to poor form.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Movies based on videogames, once unfertile IP for Hollywood at the box office, have blossomed in recent years.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infertile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infertile. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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