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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sterile
Mexico is also renovating a sterile fly production plant in the southern state of Chiapas with a $31 million federal investment plus a $21 million investment from the United States.
—
Clara Migoya, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
Workers improperly handled vials and stoppers meant for sterile medications and, in some cases, failed to disinfect manufacturing areas and equipment, according to the report.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 16 July 2025
But for each of these artists, there are countless others who lack the inner resources needed to be away so long from their friends and family—not to say, their material—and for whom exile is arid and sterile.
—Aatish Taseer, Time, 15 July 2025
Waggoner said there was a time the brand shied away from its roots in favor of something more corporate and sterile.
—Travis Webb, Austin American Statesman, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sterile
Clara Migoya, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
Workers improperly handled vials and stoppers meant for sterile medications and, in some cases, failed to disinfect manufacturing areas and equipment, according to the report.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 16 July 2025
But for each of these artists, there are countless others who lack the inner resources needed to be away so long from their friends and family—not to say, their material—and for whom exile is arid and sterile.
—Aatish Taseer, Time, 15 July 2025
Waggoner said there was a time the brand shied away from its roots in favor of something more corporate and sterile.
—Travis Webb, Austin American Statesman, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sterile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sterile
Adjective
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Then there is Canada and Greenland’s beef over the uninhabited Hans Island, a barren spit in the Kennedy Channel.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
25 July 2025
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Brown, barren, patchy spots in your lawn can be unsightly.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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Airplane seatback pockets are one of the least sanitary places on a plane, but skipping them also means leaving yourself with limited storage space—until now.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
20 July 2025
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In addition to Narcan, the machines also have socks, hand sanitizer, wipes and other sanitary items.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
19 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sterile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sterile. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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