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unsterilized

unsterilized

1 6.3
Not made free of germs
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈstɛrɪlaɪzd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : no esterilizado
  • Many health experts warn that procedures performed with unsterilized instruments can spread harmful diseases.
  • unsterilized instruments

Examples

  • Most analysts foresee the FOMC will supplant Operation Twist, which expires on December 31, with unsterilized Treasury purchases totaling $45B.

    Blog text (8)
  • Using unsterilized equipment can lead to serious infections and health risks.

  • Spread in part by unsterilized needles being shared.

    Blog text (14)
  • Midwives often perform the operation with unsterilized instruments or even broken glass and without anesthesia on girls four to twelve.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Yes, the odds of unilateral, even unsterilized, intervention working were also slim, but Japanese officials must have known and appreciated that too.

    Blog text (20)
  • I finished my research on Deadly Pedicures, about the woman who contracted that fungus from the unsterilized tools.

  • In the weeks that followed, many other unsterilized probing fingers and devices were inserted into Garfield's body searching for the bullet.

  • Unsterilized peat is also home to a number of different microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and other small plants.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unsterilized milk or meat from infected cows or close contact with their secretions.

    Academic text (2012)
  • To induce sterility, a fairly high dosage of radiation is required—but that can leave the insects less competitive than unsterilized moths.

    Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

unsterile
vsunsterilized
  • Specialized
1 5.5

Not free from germs

is the same meaning but focuses on lack of microbe removal
nonsterile
vsunsterilized
  • Specialized
5.1

Not completely free from germs

implies complete absence of microbe removal rather than partial cleaning
unsanitized
vsunsterilized
  • US
5.7

Not cleaned and may have germs or dirt

refers specifically to no microbe removal rather than general uncleanliness

How Sterile

sterile
  • Specialized
37 4.4
aseptic
  • Specialized
1 6.7
unsterilized
  • Specialized
1 6.3
nonsterile
  • Specialized
5.1
dirty
525 1.0

Surface Forms

unsterilized positive

Morphology

unsterilized = sterilized (transparent) = un + sterilize + ed

The productive negative prefix 'un-' is attached to the adjective 'sterilized' to form the straightforward opposite meaning.

Etymology

Unsterilized is made of the prefix un- meaning 'not' and sterilized, from sterile meaning 'without life' or 'very clean'. So, unsterilized simply means 'not cleaned of germs'.