Definitions

fertile

[fur-tl, -tahyl] / ˈfɜr tl, -taɪl /

ADJECTIVE

ready to bear, produce

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abundant arable fruitful lush productive rich

WEAK

bearing black bountiful breeding breedy bringing forth childbearing childing fecund feracious flowering flowing with milk and honey generative gravid hebetic loamy luxuriant plenteous plentiful pregnant procreant producing proliferant prolific puberal pubescent rank spawning teeming uberous vegetative virile with child yielding

Antonyms

STRONGEST

barren impotent sparse unfruitful unproductive

WEAK

fruitless infertile sterile useless

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To start, they’re believed to be the first domesticated food crop, with their earliest cultivation dating back 10,000 years in the Fertile Crescent.

From Salon • May 14, 2025

This practice of ritual burial is believed to have originated among early Neolithic groups in the "Fertile Crescent" - a region encompassing parts of modern-day Turkey, Israel, Syria and Lebanon - before gradually spreading westward.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

If Harris defeats former President Trump in November, she would become the best cook to ever serve as president, said Bruce Kraig, author of “A Rich and Fertile Land: A History of Food in America.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2024

Human-made climate change is driving a yearslong extreme drought in Iran, Iraq and Syria, an area that encompasses a region known as the Fertile Crescent and a cradle of civilization, scientists said on Wednesday.

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2023

Their spread was soon followed by that of other innovations originating in or near the Fertile Crescent, including the wheel, writing, metalworking techniques, milking, fruit trees, and beer and wine production.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Vocabulary lists containing fertile

Down on the Farm

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Word Generation Social Studies - Ancient Civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Mesopotamia - Introductory

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!