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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sterile
The existing pink floor and wall tiles were doused in a sterile shade of white, creating an unwelcoming experience for our guests.
—
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 26 Nov. 2024
The statistics are sterile, but the sound of absence hums: their voices missing from the kitchens, the markets, the churches, the streets of Florence, muted instead inside convent walls.
—Michelle Weber, Longreads, 15 Nov. 2024
Baxter's Marion, North Carolina, site is among the largest suppliers of sterile intravenous fluids and peritoneal dialysis solutions in the U.S., making 1.5 million bags daily — 60% of the nation's supply, according to the AHA.
—Leah Olajide, Detroit Free Press, 9 Oct. 2024
The goal of these agencies will be to speed up reviews of alternative drug applications while also working with manufacturers to boost capacity for IV fluid production, including bringing other manufacturers with sterile production facilities online.
—Robert Glatter, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sterile 
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 26 Nov. 2024
The statistics are sterile, but the sound of absence hums: their voices missing from the kitchens, the markets, the churches, the streets of Florence, muted instead inside convent walls.
—Michelle Weber, Longreads, 15 Nov. 2024
Baxter's Marion, North Carolina, site is among the largest suppliers of sterile intravenous fluids and peritoneal dialysis solutions in the U.S., making 1.5 million bags daily — 60% of the nation's supply, according to the AHA.
—Leah Olajide, Detroit Free Press, 9 Oct. 2024
The goal of these agencies will be to speed up reviews of alternative drug applications while also working with manufacturers to boost capacity for IV fluid production, including bringing other manufacturers with sterile production facilities online.
—Robert Glatter, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sterile
Thesaurus Entries Near sterile
Cite this Entry
“Sterile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sterile. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share