1
as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring
an infertile cow is of limited use to a farmer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of infertile
Many remote lodges, however, are stunted by unfixable geographic challenges, like infertile land.
—
Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2025
Datini’s bride, Margherita, proved to be infertile; with no one to inherit his business empire, and increasingly concerned about the fate of his immortal soul, Datini left much of his estate to causes benefitting the poor.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 11 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
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
Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2025
Datini’s bride, Margherita, proved to be infertile; with no one to inherit his business empire, and increasingly concerned about the fate of his immortal soul, Datini left much of his estate to causes benefitting the poor.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 11 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infertile
Adjective
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That matters, especially after the sterile corporate monotony of the Napier era.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
-
Run the tap two to three minutes before collecting, use only the sterile bottle provided and keep the sample away from nonstick or treated surfaces.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Seeking to eliminate Berber forces in the barren mountains of northern Morocco, seven soldiers obediently follow their fanatical sergeant (Víctor Clavijo) into barbarous depths of depravity.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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Officials there have said that Iraqi army forces investigated reports of an unauthorized military force in the Nukhaib desert -- a barren area to the southwest of the cities of Karbala and Najaf -- in early March and came under fire while en route to the location.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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The delicate pitter-patter of a drum’s cymbal is the only sound to break through the thick brick wall of the obscure performance venue, Sun Space, and reach the wide, desolate Sunland Boulevard.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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Earlier this week, along a desolate stretch of road lined with oil refineries just north of the border between Shandong and Hebei provinces, an awareness of that spotlight seemed palpable.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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The play’s focus is resolutely on the impoverished rural family of women who fall under this ambitious bluesman’s influence in the rural Georgia of the 1930s, writes Chris Jones.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
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This model is much less appealing to the impoverished governments, which sometimes struggle to pay their own troops.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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After wildfires hit Georgia in April 2026 fueled by a rain deficit, high winds and low humidity, — among other causes, per NASA — neighboring states got slammed with poor air quality alerts.—
Ryan Brennan
May 19,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
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However his attitude on health care and taxes places Newsom at odds with advocates for poor Californians who would be affected and their allies in the Legislature, many of whom want a tax increase.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
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 20 May. 2026.
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