Synonyms of sterile

sterile

adjective

ˈster-əl 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• barren
• sterilized
• infertile
• impotent
• unfruitful
• fruitless
• altered
• neutered
• emasculated
• castrated
• unproductive
• spayed
• desexed
• gelded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fertile
• fat
• fruitful
• productive
• rich
• prolific
• luxuriant
• enriched
• pregnant
• fecund
• impregnated
• potent
• bearing
• fertilized
• producing
• yielding
• flourishing
• bursting
• blooming
• teeming
• swarming

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sanitary
• aseptic
• hygienic
• antibiotic
• germfree
• pristine
• clean
• healthful
• immaculate
• washed
• antiseptic
• stainless
• spotless
• healthy
• antibacterial
• germicidal
• unsullied
• squeaky-clean
• beneficial
• unsoiled
• microbicidal
• unstained
• salubrious
• unpolluted
• pure
• spic-and-span
• untainted
• spick-and-span
• wholesome
• scrubbed
• bleached
• germproof
• purified
• salutary
• cleansed
• undefiled
• restorative
• whitened
• salutiferous
• taintless
• abluted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unsanitary
• toxic
• insanitary
• infectious
• unhygienic
• poisonous
• pathogenic
• dirty
• dusty
• unsterile
• filthy
• sickening
• unclean
• muddy
• dingy
• stained
• grimy
• sordid
• soiled
• unwashed
• foul
• nasty
• grubby
• pathogenetic
• noxious
• unhealthy
• mucky
• grungy
• germy
• bedraggled
• miasmic
• unwholesome
• polluted
• unhealthful
• unsterilized
• tainted
• uncleanly
• sullied
• draggled
• smirched
• insalubrious
• besmirched
• defiled

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of sterile

How did lush rainforest colonize the sterile land so quickly? —Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2025

Carter’s extended time in hospice gave his family the opportunity to prepare for his passing emotionally, cherish precious moments and say their goodbyes without the sterile interruptions of a hospital setting. —Stacey Manley, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2025

That’s the vision of this ‘00s masterpiece, a film about a future in which all women have become sterile, meaning there will be no next generation. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024

For best results, always use a clean, sterile blade. —Carley Millhone, Health, 27 Dec. 2024