as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
struggling to make a living with the region's unfertile fields
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Recent Examples of unfertile
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
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfertile
Adjective
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In the 19th century, guano miners razed the place, removing most of the topsoil and leaving behind barren rock.—
Susan Casey,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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The next two teams on this list find themselves in eerily similar situations, from barren rosters to enviable cap space to hope at the quarterback position.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Sátántangó’s desolate landscapes, dominated by mud, wind, and overcast skies, summoned a vision of earthly purgatory unrivaled in almost all of cinema.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
6 Jan. 2026
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Thanksgiving is desolate with freezing rain.—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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All the struggling, impoverished Californians who wish their lives were better?—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
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The flood of people overwhelmed Bajo Chiquito, an impoverished community of 382 members of the Indigenous Emberá-Wounaan people.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
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In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfertile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfertile. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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