stillborn
Americanadjective
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dead when born.
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ineffectual from the beginning; abortive; fruitless.
a stillborn plan of escape.
adjective
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(of a fetus) dead at birth
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(of an idea, plan, etc) fruitless; abortive; unsuccessful
noun
Etymology
Origin of stillborn
Vocabulary lists containing stillborn
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.
Jasmine Beverley, whose son's remains were discovered at the funeral parlour nearly two years after he was stillborn, said: "Reading the letter has left me feeling nothing but anger."
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Sunny's remains were recovered from the Hessle Road premises a year and 10 months after he was stillborn on 13 May 2022, the court heard.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Sunny's remains were recovered from the funeral parlour a year and 10 months after he was stillborn on 13 May 2022, the court heard.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Jasmine Beverley, whose son Sunny was stillborn in May 2022, said Bush appeared "lovely" and presented himself as "very respectful".
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
It happened in the night, and by morning they had buried the child and would not speak of it except to say it had been stillborn but otherwise perfect, as far as they could tell.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
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.
