The meaning of STERILE is failing to bear or incapable of producing fruit or spores. How to use sterile in a sentence.

STERILE definition: free from living germs or microorganisms; aseptic. See examples of sterile used in a sentence.

STERILE definition: 1. (of a living being) unable to produce young, or (of land) unable to produce plants or crops: 2…. Learn more.

1. Not able to produce offspring, seeds, or fruit; unable to reproduce. 2. Producing little or no plant life; barren: a desolate, sterile region. 3. Free from disease-causing microorganisms: a sterile bandage.

Definition of sterile adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Something that is sterile is completely clean and free from germs. He always made sure that any cuts were protected by sterile dressings. Urine is sterile.

There are 14 meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective sterile, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Jan 4, 2026 · Adjective sterile (comparative more sterile, superlative most sterile) (not comparable) Unable to reproduce (or procreate).

STERILE meaning: 1 : not able to produce crops or plants; 2 : not able to produce children, young animals, etc.

Microbiology free from living germs, bacteria, or microorganisms: a sterile environment for operating on patients. Microbiology not able to produce young: fears that nuclear radiation made people sterile.