sterile
adjective
, chiefly British -ˌī(-ə)l\
Definition of sterile
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Other Words from sterile
, chiefly British -ˌī(-ə)(l)-lē \
adverb
\
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for sterile
Synonyms
barren, fruitless, impotent, infertile, unfruitful
Antonyms
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Examples of sterile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Just before the boys entered the sterile operating area, Nicole and Christian kissed them goodbye … and started the clock. — Sarah Schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "[UPDATED]: The McDonald Twins Are Miraculously Stable After a Trying Weekend," 17 Oct. 2016 This means that regions that once harbored photosynthetic life contain slightly lower amounts of carbon 13 than sterile areas. — Peter Byrne, Quanta Magazine, "Early Life in Death Valley," 24 Apr. 2014 Above all, Kahane’s libretto drove the piece, most of its 13 vignettes evoking the sterile and dehumanizing questionnaires that homeless people must negotiate in order to get a bed for the night. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Grant Park Orchestra review: Kahane’s ‘Emergency Shelter’ gets a brilliant Midwest premiere," 6 July 2019 Hospitals spend a lot of time and money keeping things clean and sterile. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Flies in Hospitals Are Full of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria," 26 June 2019 Many of the patients have been in the hospital for weeks or months and the gardens offer a distraction from the sterile medical environment. — Jodi Torpey, The Denver Post, "The healing gardens at Craig Hospital offer respite and therapy," 17 June 2019 Catalogs felt sterile and devoid of humanity (and reality). — Ingrid Abramovitch, ELLE Decor, "Inside Snowe’s Takeover of the Millennial Luxury Home Goods Market," 13 June 2019 In medical terms, a cervical biopsy sounds sterile and unassuming: a doctor takes a tissue sample from your cervix to test for cancerous cells. — Rachael Brennan, Glamour, "I Wish I’d Gotten the HPV Vaccine," 14 May 2019 High-concept, high-craft Plenty more happens in The Guilty, all from this sterile-looking call center: Asger tries coordinating police chases to snag suspect vehicles. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "The Guilty review: Even in 2018, a simple phone can be utterly thrilling," 21 Oct. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sterile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for sterile
sterile
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of sterile
See the full definition for sterile in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sterile
adjective
\
Kids Definition of sterile
sterile
adjectiveMedical Definition of sterile
Other Words from sterile
\
adverb
\
noun,
plural sterilities