Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [ster-il or, esp. British, -ahyl]
- /ˈstɛr ɪl or, esp. British, -aɪl/
- /ˈster.aɪl/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [ster-il or, esp. British, -ahyl]
- /ˈstɛr ɪl or, esp. British, -aɪl/
Definitions of sterile word
- adjective sterile free from living germs or microorganisms; aseptic: sterile surgical instruments. 1
- adjective sterile incapable of producing offspring; not producing offspring. 1
- adjective sterile barren; not producing vegetation: sterile soil. 1
- adjective sterile Botany. noting a plant in which reproductive structures fail to develop. bearing no stamens or pistils. 1
- adjective sterile not productive of results, ideas, etc.; fruitless. 1
- adjective sterile free of germs 1
Information block about the term
Origin of sterile
First appearance:
before 1545 One of the 30% oldest English words
First recorded in 1545-55, sterile is from the Latin word sterilis unfruitful
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Sterile
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
sterile popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 80% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
sterile usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for sterile
adj sterile
- acarpous — (of plants) producing no fruit
- anti-bacterial — destructive to or inhibiting the growth of bacteria.
- anti-biotic — any of a large group of chemical substances, as penicillin or streptomycin, produced by various microorganisms and fungi, having the capacity in dilute solutions to inhibit the growth of or to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms, used chiefly in the treatment of infectious diseases.
- antibacterial — effective against bacteria
- antiseptic — Antiseptic is a substance that kills germs and harmful bacteria.
noun sterile
- infertility — not fertile; unproductive; sterile; barren: infertile soil.
adjective sterile
- arid — Arid land is so dry that very few plants can grow on it.
- clean — Something that is clean is free from dirt or unwanted marks.
- decontaminated — Simple past tense and past participle of decontaminate.
- desert — A desert is a large area of land, usually in a hot region, where there is almost no water, rain, trees, or plants.
- disinfected — to cleanse (rooms, wounds, clothing, etc.) of infection; destroy disease germs in.
Antonyms for sterile
adj sterile
- blooming — Blooming is used by some people to emphasize what they are saying, especially when they are annoyed.
- boggy — Boggy land is very wet and muddy land.
- bright-eyed — eager; fresh and enthusiastic
- caked — If something is caked with mud, blood, or dirt, it is covered with a thick dry layer of it.
- childing — bearing a child; pregnant
adjective sterile
- dirty — soiled with dirt; foul; unclean: dirty laundry.
- disarrayed — Simple past tense and past participle of disarray.
- faecal — feces.
- feracious — Producing in abundance; fertile, fruitful.
- foul — grossly offensive to the senses; disgustingly loathsome; noisome: a foul smell.
Top questions with sterile
- what does sterile mean?
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See also
Matching words
- Words starting with s
- Words starting with st
- Words starting with ste
- Words starting with ster
- Words starting with steri
- Words starting with steril
- Words starting with sterile