Sterile

Pronunciation: /ˈstɛrəl/

Sterile (adjective)

  1. completely clean and free from germs or bacteria
  2. unable to produce children or young animals
  3. not producing any new ideas or interesting results

Examples

  • The hospital room must be kept sterile to prevent infections.
  • Sterile equipment is essential for safe medical procedures.

Common collocations: sterile environment, sterile instruments, keep sterile, sterile animal, sterile plant

Synonyms of Sterile

Formal

Neutral

Antonyms of Sterile

  • when discussing cleanliness or germ presence
  • when discussing productivity or land