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
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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
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Recent Examples of sterile
The ones sold on the market were supposed to be sterile, meaning the seeds in the fruits weren’t supposed to germinate and grow.
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Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
One can see his fingerprints in work from fellow photographers Jamie Hawkesworth and Alec Soth, the staged intimacy of a Charli xcx video, the hyperaware vulnerability of a Perfume Genius album cover, and the sterile-surreal domestic tension in a Yorgos Lanthimos film.
—Vanity Fair, 26 Mar. 2026
This kind of boosterism—no less evident in Bernard Lewis’s highbrow argument in The New Yorker that Muslims fear modernity than in Niall Ferguson’s entreaties for the Bush Administration to resume the British Empire’s task of civilizing the natives—always seemed bafflingly sterile to me.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Beautifully photographed by Greig Fraser, the color palette is warm and colorful, not cold and sterile; Daniel Pemberton’s percussive score is curious, bright and emotionally leading.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sterile
Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
One can see his fingerprints in work from fellow photographers Jamie Hawkesworth and Alec Soth, the staged intimacy of a Charli xcx video, the hyperaware vulnerability of a Perfume Genius album cover, and the sterile-surreal domestic tension in a Yorgos Lanthimos film.
—Vanity Fair, 26 Mar. 2026
This kind of boosterism—no less evident in Bernard Lewis’s highbrow argument in The New Yorker that Muslims fear modernity than in Niall Ferguson’s entreaties for the Bush Administration to resume the British Empire’s task of civilizing the natives—always seemed bafflingly sterile to me.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Beautifully photographed by Greig Fraser, the color palette is warm and colorful, not cold and sterile; Daniel Pemberton’s percussive score is curious, bright and emotionally leading.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sterile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sterile
Adjective
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In some places, fish catches declined precipitously in medium depths, which Joye attributes to nutritionally barren conditions.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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His dread turned to panic when Hochheiser, 79, was unloaded at Villa Rosa III, a 48-bed assisted living home with peeling paint, burglar bars, barren planters and a history of poor care.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For livestock, this would include potable water, sanitary living conditions and access to a windbreak such as a building or tree line.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Results showed 80% of respondents voted no, citing both sanitary and ethical concerns.—
Reia Li,
AZCentral.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sterile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sterile. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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