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Synonyms

contraceptive

American  
[kon-truh-sep-tiv] / ˌkɒn trəˈsɛp tɪv /

adjective

  1. tending or serving to prevent conception or impregnation.

  2. pertaining to contraception.

noun

  1. a contraceptive device, drug, foam, etc.

contraceptive British  
/ ˌkɒntrəˈsɛptɪv /

adjective

  1. relating to or used for contraception; able or tending to prevent impregnation

"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

noun

  1. any device that prevents or tends to prevent conception

"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
contraceptive Scientific  
/ kŏn′trə-sĕp′tĭv /

  1. A substance or device capable of preventing pregnancy.

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.

Jade Boden-de Mel first experienced "unbearable" pain at 17 but says medics could not identify the cause and prescribed the contraceptive pill to manage it.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Dr Lauren Thomas, a sexual health doctor who has been training GPs in more remote parts of the patch to fit coils and contraceptive implants said ultrasound biopsies would also be available in each county.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

The findings may also support the development of new contraceptive strategies, particularly nonhormonal approaches.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2026

Some of the women decided to take a long-acting contraceptive method, instead of the birth control pills, because they were worried about funding being cut again, she added.

From Salon • Feb. 9, 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

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.