abortive

American  

[uh-bawr-tiv] / əˈbɔr tɪv /

adjective

1. failing to succeed; unsuccessful.

   an abortive rebellion; an abortive scheme.

   Synonyms:

   vain, unavailing, bootless, ineffectual, fruitless

   Antonyms:

   successful

2. born prematurely.

3. imperfectly developed; rudimentary.

4. Medicine/Medical.

   1. producing or intended to produce abortion; abortifacient.

   2. acting to halt progress of a disease.

5. Pathology. (of the course of a disease) short and mild without the usual, pronounced clinical symptoms.

6. Botany. (of seeds or pollen grains) imperfect; unable to germinate.

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abortive British  

/ əˈbɔːtɪv /

adjective

1. failing to achieve a purpose; fruitless

2. (of organisms) imperfectly developed; rudimentary

3. causing abortion; abortifacient

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Other Word Forms

• abortively adverb
• abortiveness noun
• nonabortive adjective
• nonabortively adverb
• nonabortiveness noun
• unabortive adjective
• unabortively adverb
• unabortiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of abortive

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word abortīvus. See abort, -ive

Example Sentences

On Saturday morning, four days after Yoon's abortive attempt to declare martial law, the president once again appeared on television.

From BBC

So it is possible the abortive flight over Kostyantynivka was one of Moscow’s first attempts to test its new weapon in combat conditions.

From BBC

It led him to launch his short, abortive presidential bid.

From Seattle Times

Later came boarding school and an abortive spell at Oxford University.

From BBC

Mr. Prigozhin had relocated a large contingent of Wagner mercenaries to a site in Belarus as part of a deal to end his abortive uprising against Russian President Vladimir Putin in late June.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• failed
• fruitless
• futile
• unsuccessful