/ ˈsteraɪl; NAmE ˈsterəl/ adjective
1.
( of humans or animals ) not able to produce children or young animals
SYN infertile
—compare fertile
2.
completely clean and free from bacteria :
sterile bandages
sterile water
3.
( of a discussion, an argument, etc. ) not producing any useful result
SYN fruitless :
a sterile debate
4.
lacking individual personality, imagination or new ideas :
The room felt cold and sterile.
He felt creatively and emotionally sterile.
5.
( of land ) not good enough to produce crops
► ster·il·ity / stəˈrɪləti; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
The disease can cause sterility in men and women.
the meaningless sterility of statistics
She contemplated the sterility of her existence.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French , or from Latin sterilis ; related to Greek steira barren cow. Sense 2 dates from the late 19th cent.