contraceptive
Americanadjective
-
tending or serving to prevent conception or impregnation.
-
pertaining to contraception.
noun
-
contraceptives
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of contraceptive
First recorded in 1890–95; contra- 1 ( def. ) + (con)ceptive ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
For women interested in nonhormonal contraception—an increasing share of contraceptive users—the device made a big promise: It would finally give them another option.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
My smart ring captures nightly skin-temperature data for Natural Cycles, an FDA-cleared digital contraceptive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Given he was the driving force behind the decision, he felt it was "wrong to put the onus on my wife" to take a contraceptive.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
One promising candidate was lynestrenol, a hormone drug currently approved for certain menstrual disorders and contraceptive use.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
Ritual and ethical absention and the use of contraceptive drugs seem to have played the major part in maintaining this stability.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
The asset-management firm agreed to buy a minority stake in Bayer’s long-acting reversible contraceptives business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Usually, invasive species are deliberately targeted by humans to try to bring them under control, like the initiative to feed contraceptives to grey squirrels.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
In many states, for example, pharmacists now prescribe medications such as contraceptives and flu treatments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
Kayla Healey, head of contraception at MSI Reproductive Choices says hormonal contraceptives can help with heavy periods or alleviating the symptoms of PMS.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
—Gethenians tend to have their children young; most of them, after the age of twenty-four or so, use contraceptives, and they cease to be fertile in the female phase at about forty.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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