as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring
disappointed to discover that the mare was unfruitful
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Recent Examples of unfruitful
Once home to more than 1,100 residents and boasting its own postal service, according to Visit Keweenaw, the unfruitful mine then saw the community dwindle, only a few historic homes now remaining.
—
Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 31 Oct. 2025
That’s one investment that has proved rather unfruitful so far, although things appear to be looking up for WBD investors currently with company on the auction block and simultaneously preparing to separate its cable operations and studios/streaming into to companies.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Homosexual life, by contrast, is one of unfruitful stasis and sterile repetition.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Trump too has aired frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks as ceasefire talks have been unfruitful.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfruitful
Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 31 Oct. 2025
That’s one investment that has proved rather unfruitful so far, although things appear to be looking up for WBD investors currently with company on the auction block and simultaneously preparing to separate its cable operations and studios/streaming into to companies.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Homosexual life, by contrast, is one of unfruitful stasis and sterile repetition.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Trump too has aired frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks as ceasefire talks have been unfruitful.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfruitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfruitful
Adjective
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The sterile slats seemed to suck the energy out of all our spaces, but nowhere more than in the living room, where an enormous window dressed in cracking plastic anchored the main wall.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
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In a landmark Nature Biotechnology study, researchers engineered a CRISPR drive that disrupted this gene, causing female mosquitoes to develop as sterile intersex individuals.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Subjecting them to extreme conditions–from the 14,000-foot ascent of Pikes Peak to the barren deserts of the Rebelle Rally.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
27 Feb. 2026
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These include wintergreen, golden star (Chrysogonum virginianum), and barren strawberry.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Developing a hybrid engine concept might seem fruitless, given that the future of transportation is set to be all-electric.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
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For onlookers, the investigation has provided limited clues and false starts, most recently with the recovery of a backpack that proved fruitless.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfruitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfruitful. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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