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

That’s especially true for medications that are intended to be sterile, like eyedrops, as contamination can lead to permanent eye damage in people who use these products. —Keren Landman, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024

Health Care The Big Story IV fluid expiration dates extended Federal regulators have approved a change to the expiration dates for multiple types of intravenous (IV) and sterile fluids made at a key manufacturing plant recovering from the impact of Hurricane Helene. —Joseph Choi, The Hill, 29 Oct. 2024

Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news In 1997, a team of scientists reared several chicken eggs in two different incubators: one was a normal, sterile incubator, while the other one was infused with the sweet, fruity aroma of strawberries. —Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024

One of the hottest novelties that awaits is the Squid Game Pavilion in Lucca’s central Piazza San Michele, that will include a replica of the sterile Squid Game dormitory where a few lucky fans will be able to spend the night. —John Bleasdale, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024