Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.

abortive British  
/ əˈbɔːtɪv /

adjective

  1. failing to achieve a purpose; fruitless

  2. (of organisms) imperfectly developed; rudimentary

  3. causing abortion; abortifacient

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2016 for reporting on the abortive Turkish coup, his work has won a string of international awards.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Besides, there are other aspects to Murphy’s monstrosity, which he co-created with Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken of the narratively abortive “Grotesquerie,” worth pondering.

From Salon • Nov. 6, 2025

But there was also damning testimony from a detective named Sam Browne, who recalled Darrow’s words to him minutes after the abortive bribe attempt.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2024

But his relationship with Mr Putin soured after Prigozhin ordered his troops to march on Moscow in an abortive rebellion against Russia's military leaders in June.

From BBC • Aug. 23, 2023

Here, by contrast, is the transcript from Avianca 052, as the plane is going in for its abortive first landing.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.