infertile Hear it!

infertile Definition

in·fer·tile (in fʉrt'l)

adjective

  1. not fertile; not productive; barren
  2. not fertilized, as an egg

Etymology: MFr < L infertilis

infertile Related Forms
in′·fer·til·ity (in′fər tilə tē) noun
infertile Synonyms

infertile

modif.

sterile, barren, impotent, fruitless; see sterile 1, 2. See syn. study at sterile.

infertile Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • not: These are some of the ethical issues that an ethics committee / forum may consider in this case Sarah is not infertile.
  • relatively: It can also be grown in relatively infertile land.
  • now: In Russia, for example, the high abortion rate has been blamed for the fact that one in five couples are now infertile.
  • completely: Indeed, male infertility is surprisingly common - it is estimated that 7.5 per cent of men have reduced fertility or are completely infertile.
  • all: But he had six sons, who were all infertile.
  • also: The newborn pups were 25 % smaller than normal animals, and were also infertile.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • render: The otters were either killed directly through a build up of the toxins in their body or it rendered the females infertile.

Modifies a noun

  • couple: For too long the chance for infertile couples to have children has been governed by their postcode, or by their income.
  • soil: It is pointless for a man to sow seeds on infertile soil.
  • mouse: The transgenic stem cells were transplanted into infertile male mice that have no differentiating cells in their testes.
  • egg: A pair seen overhead subsequently reared two young using the same nest which also contained two infertile eggs.
  • woman: Faced with long waiting lists at home, infertile British women are booking IVF holidays in the sun.
  • patient: A recent study found that at least one in 20 infertile patients considers suicide.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: Even more serious, a significant number of women became infertile.
  • leave: Many women also find sex has become painful because of damage done during delivery, and some are left infertile.
  • render: Land through which water from prawn farms was flushed is rendered infertile.
  • remain: Males are also much more abundant and active which helps ensure that no female remains infertile.
  • make: We are pleased that we now have that evidence giving hope to those women who could otherwise have been made infertile.