1. (a.) Producing little or no crop; barren; unfruitful; unproductive; not fertile; as, sterile land; a sterile desert; a sterile year.

2. (a.) Incapable of reproduction; unfitted for reproduction of offspring; not able to germinate or bear fruit; unfruitful; as, a sterile flower, which bears only stamens.

3. (a.) Free from reproductive spores or germs; as, a sterile fluid.

4. (a.) Fig.: Barren of ideas; destitute of sentiment; as, a sterile production or author.

abortive acarpous antiseptic arid aseptic bare barren blah blank bloodless boiled bootless celibate characterless childless cold colorless counterproductive dead decontaminated desert desolate disinfected dismal draggy drained drearisome dreary dried-up dry dryasdust dull dusty effete elephantine empty etiolated exhausted fade fallow fatuitous fatuous feckless flat fruitless futile gainless gaunt gelded heavy ho-hum hollow hygienic impotent inadequate inane ineffective ineffectual inefficacious inexcitable infecund infertile inoperative insipid invalid issueless jejune leached leaden lifeless low-spirited menopausal noncreative nonfertile nonproducing nonproductive nonprolific nonremunerative nugacious nugatory of no force otiose pale pallid pasteurized pedestrian plodding pointless poky ponderous profitless prophylactic pure rewardless sanitary sine prole slow solemn spiritless stale sterilized stiff stodgy stuffy sucked dry superficial tasteless tedious teemless unavailing uncontaminated uncreative uncultivated unfertile unfruitful uninfected uninspired uninventive unlively unplowed unpolluted unproductive unprofitable unprolific unremunerative unrewarding unsown untilled useless vain vapid virgin waste wasted without issue wooden worn-out