What does "sterile" mean?
Unable to reproduce (or procreate).
Sterile
/ˈstɛɹaɪl/ adj
adj ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Unable to reproduce (or procreate).
- Grammar: sterile is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: aseptic, infertile, abortive, acarpous.
- Useful contrasts: fecund, fertile, fruitful.
- Usage evidence: I cannot get pregnant. I am sterile.
How to use "sterile"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sterile" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sterile" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sterile" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sterile" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sterile" is acting as adj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aseptic" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sterile", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Unable to reproduce (or procreate). not-comparable
"According to that Cabaliſticall Dogma: If Abram had not had this Letter [i.e., ה (he)] added unto his Name he had remained fruitleſſe, and without the power of generation: […] So that being ſterill before, he received the power of generation from that meaſure and manſion in the Archetype; and was made conformable unto Binah."
- 2 Terse; lacking sentiment or emotional stimulation, as in a manner of speaking. figuratively
- 3 Fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive. figuratively
- 4 Germless; free from all living or viable microorganisms.
"a sterile kitchen table"
- 5 Permanently uninhabitable (as in a planet like Earth) to all life, including even microbes.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Free from dangerous objects, as a zone in an airport that can be only be entered via a security checkpoint.
- 7 Of weapons: foreign-made and untraceable to the United States. US
"An early CIA decision was to bring war surplus in Europe to the United States, rather than let it fall into the hands of left-wing movements. Some of the guns would also, it was reasoned, be useful as "sterile" weapons (foreign-made and untraceable to the United States) to be provided secretly to foreign friends."
Adjective
- 1 deficient in originality or creativity; lacking powers of invention wordnet
- 2 incapable of reproducing wordnet
- 3 free of or using methods to keep free of pathological microorganisms wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"I cannot get pregnant. I am sterile."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sterile"?
Common synonyms include: aseptic, infertile, abortive, acarpous, antiseptic, arid.
How do you use "sterile" in a sentence?
I cannot get pregnant. I am sterile.
How do you pronounce "sterile"?
Pronounced /ˈstɛɹaɪl/.
Etymology
From Middle French stérile, from Latin sterilis (“barren, futile”). See also Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra).