Meaning & use
sterile
Completely free from bacteria or other microorganisms; thoroughly clean and germ-free.
See it in a sentence
Surgeons must keep every instrument sterile before an operation begins.
The desert landscape looked sterile, with barely any visible plant or animal life.
A note on using this word
Sterile can describe hygiene, the biological inability to reproduce, or a lack of creativity, depending on context.
Words with a similar meaning
germ-freesanitized
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
contaminated
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Unable to produce offspring, or, for plants, unable to produce fruit or viable seeds.
The vet explained that the older cat was now sterile after her surgery.
Make it your own
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