Dictionary entries for 'sterile'

Synonyms

ster·ile (stĕŕəl, -īĺ)

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sterilis.]

adjective

Not producing or incapable of producing offspring.
1. Not producing or incapable of producing seed, fruit spores, or other reproductive structures. Used of plants or their parts.
2. Producing little or no vegetation; unfruitful: sterile land.
Free from live bacteria or other microorganisms: a sterile operating area; sterile instruments.
Lacking imagination, creativity, or vitality.
Lacking the power to function; not productive or effective; fruitless: a sterile discussion.