Dictionary

sterile en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• stĕrʹəl
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈstɛɹaɪl/ (Canada)
• /ˈstɛɹaɪl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈstɛɹəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈstɛɹəl/ (General-American)
• /ˈstɛɹaɪl/ (General-American, uncommon)
• stĕrʹīl"
• (Texas) audio
• /ˈstɛɹəl/ (Canada)

Etymology

From Middle French stérile, from Latin sterilis (“barren, futile”). See also Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra).

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Unable to reproduce (or procreate).
   • According to that Cabaliſticall Dogma: If Abram had not had this Letter [i.e., ה (he)] added unto his Name he had remained fruitleſſe, and without the power of generation: […] So that being ſterill before, he received the power of generation from that meaſure and manſion in the Archetype; and was made conformable unto Binah. 1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter V.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 192:
2. (figuratively) Terse; lacking sentiment or emotional stimulation, as in a manner of speaking.
3. (figuratively) Fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive.
4. Germless; free from all living or viable microorganisms.
   • a sterile kitchen table
5. Permanently uninhabitable (as in a planet like Earth) to all life, including even microbes.
6. Free from dangerous objects, as a zone in an airport that can be only be entered via a security checkpoint.
7. (US) Of weapons: foreign-made and untraceable to the United States.
   • In addition to this rapid supply system, the US Army Counterinsurgency Support Office on Okinawa helped procure special equipment including rucksacks, special rations for irregular troops, 'sterile' weapons which could not be traced to the USA and other items not procurable through foreign channels. 1990, Leroy Thompson, The US Army in Vietnam, page 111:
   • An early CIA decision was to bring war surplus in Europe to the United States, rather than let it fall into the hands of left-wing movements. Some of the guns would also, it was reasoned, be useful as "sterile" weapons (foreign-made and untraceable to the United States) to be provided secretly to foreign friends. 1980, Russell Warren Howe, Weapons: The International Game of Arms, Money and Diplomacy:

Forms

Antonyms

potent · unsterile · non-sterile · nonsterile · fruitful · fecund · fertile · productive

Deriveds

sterileness · steripipette · intersterile · sterilant · semisterile · sterilely · sterile neutrino · self-sterile · sterile oat · sterile antineutrino · ultrasterile · anti-sterile-neutrino

Hyponyms

impotent

Relateds

sterilization · sterilisation · sterility · castrated · sterilized · sterilised · castrato · emasculate · neuter · sterilise · sterilize

Synonyms

sterile · infertile (unable to procreate) · fruitless · barren (unable to procreate)

Translations (112)

nl steriel (unable to reproduce) · ga aimrid (unable to reproduce) · fa سترون (unable to reproduce) · bg безплоден (unable to reproduce) · fi steriili (unable to reproduce) · mi horomata (unable to reproduce) · ru стери́льный (germless) · hu tiszta (germless) · es estéril (germless) · fa سترون (germless) · eo malfekunda (unable to reproduce) · fi hedelmätön (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · ar عَقِيمَة (unable to reproduce) · de steril (germless) · ca estèril (unable to reproduce) · ja 無菌の (germless) · uk безплі́дний (unable to reproduce) · pt estéril (germless) · ang unberende (unable to reproduce) · nl onvruchtbaar (unable to reproduce) · ckb ئەستێور (germless) · hy մանրէազերծ (germless) · ru беспло́дный (unable to reproduce) · bg стерилен (germless) · sv steril (germless) · pl bezpłodny (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · ja 不毛な (unable to reproduce) · afb عقيم (unable to reproduce) · cmn 不孕的 (unable to reproduce) · hu haszontalan (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · id steril (germless) · it sterile (germless) · hy ստերջ (unable to reproduce) · akl baog (unable to reproduce) · uk яки́й не мо́же ма́ти діте́й (unable to reproduce) · cy diheintiedig (germless) · ia sterile (unable to reproduce) · cs sterilní (germless) · la sterilis (unable to reproduce) · bg безрезултатен (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · vi vô trùng (germless) · cmn 無菌的 /无菌的 (germless) · hy չբեր (unable to reproduce) · war baog (unable to reproduce) · el στείρος (unable to reproduce) · tl baog (unable to reproduce) · nn steril (unable to reproduce) · gl maniño (unable to reproduce) · uk стери́льний (germless) · it sterile (unable to reproduce) · grc στεῖρος (unable to reproduce) · ia sterile (germless) · hy ստերիլ (germless) · sv steril (unable to reproduce) · bcl bawas (unable to reproduce) · ja 不妊の (unable to reproduce) · hu terméketlen (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · uk стери́льний (unable to reproduce) · nn steril (germless) · eo sterila (unable to reproduce) · da steril (germless) · vi vô sinh (unable to reproduce) · hu céltalan (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · cy anffrwythlon (unable to reproduce) · he עקר (unable to reproduce) · nb steril (unable to reproduce) · hu meddő (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · hu meddő (unable to reproduce) · afb عقيمة (unable to reproduce) · cmn 貧瘠的 /贫瘠的 (unable to reproduce) · ja 不毛な (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · es estéril (unable to reproduce) · nb steril (germless) · sv ofruktbar (unable to reproduce) · kl bakteriaqanngitsoq (germless) · enm bareyne (unable to reproduce) · el στείρος (germless) · el αποστειρωμένος (germless) · hu terméketlen (unable to reproduce) · xsb baog (unable to reproduce) · fi steriili (germless) · ca estèril (germless) · de unfruchtbar (unable to reproduce) · ota قیصیر (unable to reproduce) · gl estéril (germless) · fa استریل (germless) · fr stérile (unable to reproduce) · ckb ئەستێور (unable to reproduce) · it infertile (unable to reproduce) · ga steiriúil (germless) · cmn 无菌的 (unable to reproduce) · fr stérile (germless) · ar عَقِيم (unable to reproduce) · he עָקָר (unable to reproduce) · hu steril (germless) · pl sterylny (germless) · gl maniña (unable to reproduce) · pl bezpłodny (unable to reproduce) · cs neplodný (unable to reproduce) · ga seasc (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · ja 荒瘠な (fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive) · tl esteril (germless) · hy ամուլ (unable to reproduce) · ga seasc (unable to reproduce) · fi mikrobiton (germless) · pt estéril (unable to reproduce) · eo sterila (germless) · hu csíramentes (germless) · th เป็นหมัน (unable to reproduce) · hu steril (unable to reproduce) · id steril (unable to reproduce) · cmn 不生育的 (unable to reproduce)