Synonyms for sterile
ˈstɛr ɪl; esp. Brit. -aɪlster·ile

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sterileadjective

   Synonyms:
   barren, infertile

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sterile

   Synonyms:
   barren, unfruitful, unproductive, desert, infertile

   Antonyms:
   fruitful, fertile, productive, luxuriant, exuberant, cultivated

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sterile, unfertile, infertileadjective

   incapable of reproducing

   "an infertile couple"

   Synonyms:
   uninspired, uninventive, unfertile, unimaginative, infertile, aseptic

   Antonyms:
   rank, conceptive, fecund, impregnable, originative, fertilizable, septic, fertile, infected, creative

2. aseptic, sterileadjective

   free of or using methods to keep free of pathological microorganisms

   "a sterile operating area"; "aseptic surgical instruments"; "aseptic surgical techniques"

   Synonyms:
   uninspired, unfertile, uninventive, unimaginative, infertile, aseptic

   Antonyms:
   septic, rank, impregnable, infected, creative, conceptive, fertile, fecund, originative, fertilizable

3. sterile, unimaginative, uninspired, uninventiveadjective

   deficient in originality or creativity; lacking powers of invention

   "a sterile ideology lacking in originality"; "unimaginative development of a musical theme"; "uninspired writing"

   Synonyms:
   uninventive, stereotypical, stereotyped, stereotypic, aseptic, unimaginative, unfertile, infertile, uninspired

   Antonyms:
   conceptive, fecund, infected, creative, fertilizable, septic, rank, originative, impregnable, fertile

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sterileadjective

   Synonyms:
   barren, unfruitful, fruitless, unproductive, unprolific, infecund, addle, ACARPOUS, jejune, poor

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. sterileadjective

   Synonyms:
   barren, infecund, unproductive, unfruitful, unprolific

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "sterile":

   barren, infertile, fruitless, tailings, unproductive, germ-free, futile, non-viable, rock, unhelpful, sterility

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How to use sterile in a sentence?

1. Isaac Bashevis Singer:

   The very essence of literature is the war between emotion and intellect, between life and death. When literature becomes too intellectual -- when it begins to ignore the passions, the motions -- it becomes sterile, silly, and actually without substance.

2. Szilard Kiss:

   Iluvien-implant is a cylindrical metallic thing that inside it has the steroid that is slowly released, we numb the patient around the eye, we make sure everything is sterile, and then we actually stick a needle in the eye. And the idea of sticking a needle in the eye sounds very scary but the results sort of bring patients back because it works.

3. Myron Tribus:

   Knowledge without know-how is sterile. We use the word 'academic' in a pejorative sense to identify this limitation.

4. Mikaela Straus:

   We had dinner and started hanging out a bit and talking about music, you get to meetings and it feels super sterile most of the time, and it was just really nice to talk with somebody who produced some of my favorite records and is just a super fan of music in general.

5. Piara Powar:

   In England, our stadiums are far safer, they're better stewarded, there are policing operations which are quite sophisticated, and actually some would argue that it's gone too far. Some would argue that those stadiums are quite sterile, that they lack the passion they once did.