abortive
adjective
abor·tive
ə-ˈbȯr-tiv 
1
obsolete
: prematurely born
2
3
: imperfectly formed or developed
4
: tending to cut short
abortively
adverb
abortiveness
noun
Examples of abortive in a Sentence
an abortive attempt to recover the sunken pirate ship
Recent Examples on the Web
Less than a year and a half later, Mr. Lukashenko allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with an abortive thrust south from Belarus toward Kyiv.
—
Tomas Dapkus, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Yet Texas law forbids its state maternal mortality review committee from looking into the deaths of patients who received an abortive procedure or medication, even in cases of miscarriage.
—Ziva Branstetter, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2025
Trump had abortive talks with Democrats on issues ranging from guns to immigration, though little came of them.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 Jan. 2025
One is Eliot Spitzer, who during his abortive tenure as governor, knocked heads to get slow-mo insurers to pay the giant settlement that a court had awarded to Silverstein.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tomas Dapkus, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Yet Texas law forbids its state maternal mortality review committee from looking into the deaths of patients who received an abortive procedure or medication, even in cases of miscarriage.
—Ziva Branstetter, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2025
Trump had abortive talks with Democrats on issues ranging from guns to immigration, though little came of them.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 Jan. 2025
One is Eliot Spitzer, who during his abortive tenure as governor, knocked heads to get slow-mo insurers to pay the giant settlement that a court had awarded to Silverstein.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Cite this Entry
“Abortive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abortive. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
abortive
adjective
abor·tive
ə-ˈbȯrt-iv
1
: unsuccessful in achieving the desired conclusion or result
an abortive escape attempt
2
: imperfectly formed or developed : rudimentary
abortively
adverb
abortiveness
noun
Medical Definition
abortive
adjective
abor·tive
ə-ˈbȯrt-iv
1
: imperfectly formed or developed : rudimentary
2
a
b
: cutting short
abortive treatment of pneumonia
c
: failing to develop completely or typically
an abortive case of poliomyelitis
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share