sterile UK /ˈstɛɹaɪl/US /ˈstɛɹəl/ adjective7 •Unable to reproduce (or procreate). •Germless; free from all living or viable microorganisms. •Free from dangerous objects, as a zone in an airport that can be only be entered via a security checkpoint. •(figurative) Fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive. •(figurative) Terse; lacking sentiment or emotional stimulation, as in a manner of speaking. •Permanently uninhabitable (as in a planet like Earth) to all life, including even microbes. •(US) Of weapons: foreign-made and untraceable to the United States. formsmore sterile · most sterile