infertile

adjective

(ˈ)in-ˈfər-tᵊl How to pronounce infertile (audio)
Definition of infertilenext
1
as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring an infertile cow is of limited use to a farmer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation only parched, infertile fields remained after months of drought

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of infertile Factors such as genetic disorders and biology put Jews at a much higher risk of being infertile compared with the national average. — Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2025 The move would be to the island's infertile interior, which was left uninhabitable due to extensive phosphate mining from the 1900s onwards, which was exported for fertilizer for about 100 years. — Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 Jackie and Shadow previously welcomed sets of chicks in 2019 and 2022 so fans know the two are not infertile, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley. — Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025 Everyone knows that 37-year-olds—especially infertile ones—don’t get pregnant on their first try. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for infertile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infertile
  1. sterile
  2. barren
  3. desolate
  4. impoverished
  5. poor
Adjective
  • Avoid sterile, clinical environments that can be intimidating.
    — Ajay Prasad, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The Pitt is set in Pittsburgh, not Chicago, and the season unfolds in real time, with overlapping crises ratcheting up tension as the cast careens around the sterile white set.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of sterile
Adjective
  • Charlie Parker’s Favorite Painting (1946) indicates Abercrombie’s engagement with social issues: a yellow noose, nearly fluorescent against a dishwater sky, dangles from a barren tree—an oblique lament from the doggedly antiracist Abercrombie.
    — Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Mass Effect's core loop doesn't benefit from huge barren landscapes that are devoid of detail.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Definition of barren
Adjective
  • Fourteen years of war have left the country desolate, and its people exhausted; millions have been displaced or were forced to become refugees.
    — Raghed Waked & Justin Salhani, The Dial, 25 Mar. 2025
  • That quality is maintained first and foremost by a desolate whistling-wind sound effect in the background of all the scenes, along with a sustained droning musical score.
    — Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of desolate
Adjective
  • These navigators link impoverished Floridians with the network of religious and community organizations that support them and teach them how to take of themselves, according to Hope Florida’s supporters.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2025
  • On the idyllic shores of the once popular tourist hot spot Inle Lake, in southern Shan state, the earthquake destroyed hundreds of bamboo houses on stilts occupied by impoverished villagers, according to aid workers.
    — Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of impoverished
Adjective
  • In fact, the massive, albeit picturesque, gullies were made because of poor farming practices during the 1800s.
    — Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The Heat continues to rotate through different starting groups because of injuries and poor play, using six different starting lineups in the last six games and 11 different starting lineups in the last 13 games.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2025
Definition of poor

Browse Nearby Words

infers
infertile
infertility
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Cite this Entry

“Infertile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infertile. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.

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