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
• spic-and-span
• 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

Examples of sterile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The sheer fervour from the passionate Bangladesh fans would have undoubtedly created surreal scenes for the World Cup, which has instead been forced to the sterile surroundings of the UAE. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024

In the massive operating room, swinging lights hang over an operating table, machines to make sterile ice are at the ready, and metal tables offer a place where organs can be packaged before they’re taken out of the room to waiting patients across the country. —Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2024

At the same time, modern life depends on plastics, which are vital for everything from sterile single-use medical equipment to the modern transportation of goods around the globe. —Dylan Scott, Vox, 24 Sep. 2024

Services span from maintaining sterile environments to ensuring compliance with health codes. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 18 Sep. 2024