Definition of abortive
1 obsolete : prematurely born
2 : fruitless, unsuccessful
3 : imperfectly formed or developed
4 : tending to cut short
abortively
adverbabortiveness
nounFrom the M-W Editors
Examples of abortive in a Sentence
an abortive attempt to recover the sunken pirate ship
Recent Examples of abortive from the Web
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That tussle, and the memory of USC’s abortive bid for an alliance with The Scripps Research Institute, may remain sensitive topics with a San Diego County academic sector that prides its independence.
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Beijing on Wednesday complained about the US lawmakers' meeting with the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
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The Dalai Lama has been based in India since fleeing Tibet during an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
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Salcedo's partner in the abortive caper, 22-year-old Adam Botbyl, has less than two months left on a sentence of 26 months for his role in the plot.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abortive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
ABORTIVE Defined for English Language Learners
abortive
playDefinition of abortive for English Language Learners
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: failing to achieve the desired result : not successful
Medical Dictionary
abortive
playMedical Definition of abortive
1: imperfectly formed or developed : rudimentary
2a: abortifacientb: cutting short abortive treatment of pneumoniac: failing to develop completely or typically an abortive case of poliomyelitis
Learn More about abortive
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See words that rhyme with abortive Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for abortive Spanish Central: Translation of abortive Nglish: Translation of abortive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of abortive for Arabic speakers
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