abortive

adjective

abor·​tive ə-ˈbȯr-tiv How to pronounce abortive (audio)
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
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.
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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abortyffe, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French abbortif, borrowed from Latin abortīvus, from abortus, past participle of aborīrī "to miscarry, abort entry 1" + -īvus -ive

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of abortive was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Abortive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abortive. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

abortive

adjective
abor·​tive ə-ˈbȯrt-iv How to pronounce abortive (audio)
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 How to pronounce abortive (audio)
1
: imperfectly formed or developed : rudimentary
2
b
: cutting short
abortive treatment of pneumonia
c
: failing to develop completely or typically
an abortive case of poliomyelitis

More from Merriam-Webster on abortive

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