ovarian

adjective

ovar·​i·​an ō-ˈver-ē-ən 

variants or less commonly ovarial

ō-ˈver-ē-əl 

: of, relating to, or involving an ovary

ovarian cancer

Examples of ovarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bertrand was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1999 and was later diagnosed with breast cancer before her death in January 2007. —Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

Bertrand, Jolie's mother, who was also an actress, died in 2007 following an eight-year battle with both breast and ovarian cancer. —Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025

Research suggests women who’ve used oral contraceptives have a 30 to 50% lower risk of ovarian cancer than those who haven’t. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 5 Sep. 2025

Her life took quite a different and unexpected tumble, though, in 2011 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 34. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ovarian

• agrarian
• aquarian
• barbarian
• bavarian
• bulgarian
• cimmerian
• hungarian
• librarian
• riparian
• rotarian
• sectarian
• tractarian

Kids Definition

ovarian

adjective

ovar·​i·​an ō-ˈvar-ē-ən 

-ˈver-

: of, relating to, or produced by an ovary

ovarian hormones

Medical Definition

ovarian

adjective

ovar·​i·​an ō-ˈvar-ē-ən, -ˈver- 

variants also ovarial

-ē-əl 

: of, relating to, affecting, or involving an ovary

ovarian functions