adj.
- Not producing or incapable of producing offspring.
- Not producing or incapable of producing seed, fruit spores, or other reproductive structures. Used of plants or their parts.
- Producing little or no vegetation; unfruitful: sterile land.
- Free from live bacteria or other microorganisms: a sterile operating area; sterile instruments.
- Lacking imagination, creativity, or vitality.
- Lacking the power to function; not productive or effective; fruitless: a sterile discussion.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sterilis.]
sterilely ster'ile·ly adv.sterileness ster'ile·ness or ste·ril'i·ty (stə-rĭl'ĭ-tē) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
