- 1(of humans or animals) not able to produce children or young animals synonym infertile compare fertile
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- 2completely clean and free from bacteria sterile bandages sterile water
- 3(of a discussion, an argument, etc.) not producing any useful result synonym fruitless a sterile debate
- 4lacking individual personality, imagination, or new ideas The room felt cold and sterile. He felt creatively and emotionally sterile.
- 5(of land) not good enough to produce crops
NAmE//stəˈrɪlət̮i//
noun [uncountable] The disease can cause sterility in men and women. the meaningless sterility of statistics She contemplated the sterility of her existence.See sterile in the Oxford Advanced Learner's DictionaryCheck pronunciation: sterile