Skip to content

estéril

sterile, barren

adjective ehs-TEH-reel Rare

Origin: Latin sterilis (barren)

Also means

futile, fruitless

Usage Note

Estéril applies both to biological infertility (tierra estéril, barren land; pareja estéril, infertile couple) and to figurative futility (un debate estéril, a fruitless debate). It is also used in medical contexts for 'sterile' (free of germs), where English distinguishes 'sterile' from 'barren' but Spanish uses the same word. The plural is estériles, with the accent maintained.

Examples

"El desierto es una tierra estéril y seca."

Natural Translation

The desert is barren and dry land.

Explore Spanish by topic