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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sterile
Avoid sterile, clinical environments that can be intimidating.
—
Ajay Prasad, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The Pitt is set in Pittsburgh, not Chicago, and the season unfolds in real time, with overlapping crises ratcheting up tension as the cast careens around the sterile white set.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
Everything While neutral tones have long been favored for creating bright and airy spaces, experts say all-white and gray interiors can feel sterile.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Her dance team performances were supplanted with physical therapy, and high school classrooms replaced with sterile examination rooms.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sterile
Ajay Prasad, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The Pitt is set in Pittsburgh, not Chicago, and the season unfolds in real time, with overlapping crises ratcheting up tension as the cast careens around the sterile white set.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
Everything While neutral tones have long been favored for creating bright and airy spaces, experts say all-white and gray interiors can feel sterile.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Her dance team performances were supplanted with physical therapy, and high school classrooms replaced with sterile examination rooms.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sterile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sterile
Adjective
-
Dike, who has missed much of the last two years with a string of serious injuries, ended his barren spell by scoring for his English Championship club West Bromwich Albion in their 5-3 win over Luton Town on Saturday.—
Ali Rampling,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
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Without predators to keep them in check, says Laura Rogers-Bennett, a senior environmental scientist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, urchins devour the base of kelp and can turn towering forests into barren seascapes within a matter of seasons.—
Avery Schuyler Nunn,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Some institutions have their own sanitary precautions.—
Jake Offenhartz,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
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The organization is currently in Myanmar providing emergency support for youth and families, including health kits, medical supplies, tents, and personal hygiene items such as soap, sanitary pads, and disinfectant.—
Jenny Adams,
AFAR Media,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sterile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sterile. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
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