pregnant

¹ American  

[preg-nuhnt] / ˈprɛg nənt /

adjective

1. having a child or other offspring developing in the body; with child or young, as a woman or female mammal.

2. fraught, filled, or abounding (usually followed bywith ).

   a silence pregnant with suspense.

3. teeming or fertile; rich (often followed byin ).

   a mind pregnant in ideas.

4. full of meaning; highly significant.

   a pregnant utterance.

5. of great importance or potential; momentous.

   a pregnant moment in the history of the world.

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pregnant ² American  

[preg-nuhnt] / ˈprɛg nənt /

adjective

Archaic.

1. convincing; cogent.

   a pregnant argument.

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pregnant British  

/ ˈprɛɡnənt /

adjective

1. carrying a fetus or fetuses within the womb

2. full of meaning or significance

3. inventive or imaginative

4. prolific or fruitful

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Other Word Forms

• pregnantly
  adverb
• pregnantness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pregnant¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin praegnant- (stem of praegnāns ), variant of praegnās, equivalent to prae- pre- + *gnāt- (akin to ( g ) nātus born, gignere to bring into being) + -s nominative singular ending

Origin of pregnant²

1350–1400; Middle English preignant < Old French, present participle of preindre, earlier priembre to press ¹ < Latin premere. Cf. print

Explanation

If you are pregnant, you are carrying a developing baby in your body. If you are pregnant it is important to take excellent care of your health — it's good for tyou and good for the baby. Pregnant comes from Latin, and literally means "before giving birth" — prae-, like pre- means "before" and gnasci is a root that means "be born." Pregnant can also mean "filled with something," like inspiration or "rich in significance or implication," like your pregnant pause before answering your friend's question, "You like my new boyfriend, don't you?"

Example Sentences

And in the past decade, the agency had relaxed earlier restrictions, including a requirement that pregnant women visit a doctor’s office to obtain the pills.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

While pregnant with her second son, she took Barberich’s advice and around Mother’s Day wrote a letter to the daughter she would never have.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The widow of a former footballer who died of cancer is now pregnant with his child after a successful round of IVF in what she described as "bittersweet but beautiful news".

From BBC • May 6, 2026

I was five months pregnant, and my only health concern was if I might experience seasickness for the first time in my life.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

There’s a pregnant woman next to us, and she lies on a blanket, rubbing her belly while her husband sits at her side.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

• rich