1
a
: failing to bear or incapable of producing fruit or spores
b
: failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring
a sterile hybrid
c
: incapable of germinating
sterile spores
d
of a flower
: neither perfect nor pistillate
2
a
: unproductive of vegetation
a sterile arid region
b
: free from living organisms and especially pathogenic microorganisms
a sterile syringe
c
: lacking in stimulating emotional or intellectual quality : lifeless
a sterile work of art
Examples of sterile in a Sentence
a sterile dressing for a wound
sterile couples sometimes choose to adopt needy children
Recent Examples on the Web
Plastics became indispensable in healthcare, enabling sterile equipment, syringes, and life-saving devices like incubators and blood bags.
—
David Carlin, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
While the soaring space and large walls of windows certainly let the outside in, modernist homes can often lean sterile if not outfitted with an injection of soft textures and color.
—Juliet Izon, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024
The supply of fluids and other sterile injectable products was already tight before Helene.
—Alissa Widman Neese, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024
The approach involved soaking the mysterious Judean Desert seed in water mixed with hormones and fertilizer before planting it in a pot of sterile soil.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sterile 
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David Carlin, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
While the soaring space and large walls of windows certainly let the outside in, modernist homes can often lean sterile if not outfitted with an injection of soft textures and color.
—Juliet Izon, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024
The supply of fluids and other sterile injectable products was already tight before Helene.
—Alissa Widman Neese, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024
The approach involved soaking the mysterious Judean Desert seed in water mixed with hormones and fertilizer before planting it in a pot of sterile soil.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sterile
Dictionary Entries Near sterile
Cite this Entry
“Sterile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sterile. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sterile
adjective
ster·ile
ˈster-əl 
1
: not able to produce fruit, crops, or offspring : not fertile
sterile soil
2
: free from microscopic living things and especially germs (as bacteria and viruses)
a sterile dressing for a wound
Medical Definition
sterile
adjective
ster·ile
ˈster-əl, chiefly British -ˌīl
1
: failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring
a sterile hybrid
compare infertile
2
: free from living organisms and especially microorganisms
a sterile syringe
a sterile cyst
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