pregnant

play

adjective preg·nant \ ˈpreg-nənt \

Definition of pregnant

1 archaic :cogent

2 :abounding in fancy, wit, or resourcefulness :inventive

all this has been said … by great and pregnant artists
—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

3 :rich in significance or implication

the pregnant phrases of the Bible
—Edmund Wilson

a pregnant pause

4 :containing a developing embryo, fetus, or unborn offspring within the body :gravid

5 :having possibilities of development or consequence :involving important issues :momentous

draw inspiration from the heroic achievements of that pregnant age
—Kemp Malone

6 obsolete :inclined, disposed

your own most pregnant and vouchsafed ear
—William Shakespeare

7 :full, teeming

—

pregnantly

adverb

See pregnant defined for English-language learners

See pregnant defined for kids

Examples of pregnant in a Sentence

She got pregnant soon after her marriage.
There was a pregnant pause before the winner was announced.

Recent Examples of pregnant from the Web

Doctors there have canceled vacations; pregnant women close to their due dates are being told to leave to avoid getting stuck, according to local reports.

— hannah elliott, Bloomberg.com, "A Tiny Oregon Town Is Prepping to Be Ground Zero for Eclipse Tourism," 20 July 2017
The report notes that about three-quarters of pregnant women with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, now have access to medicines to prevent them from passing it to their babies.

— Washington Post, "For 1st time, over half of people with HIV taking AIDS drugs," 20 July 2017
In this ghoulish massacre, witnesses reported crushed babies, disembowelled pregnant women and the burning of entire families.

— The Economist, "Italy and the Addis Ababa massacre," 20 July 2017
Head Start and Early Head Start are geared to low-income children and families, and serve children from birth to age 5, pregnant women, and their families.

— karen brainard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Head Start invites public to ice cream social, open house," 19 July 2017
The male suspect, who was later identified as Raybon, threw the injured pregnant female in the creek.

— prescotte stokes iii, AL.com, "Atmore man accused of assaulting, attempting to drown pregnant woman in creek," 18 July 2017
Patients with suicidal thoughts, dementia, psychosis and late-stage AIDS were not eligible to participate, nor were pregnant and postpartum women.

— juli fraga, miamiherald, "‘Grandmothers’ help others fight depression and anxiety," 17 July 2017
His wife, the documentary filmmaker and activist Yasmine Johnson, runs the Alliance of Moms, a nonprofit focused on serving pregnant and parenting teens in L.A.’s overwhelmed foster care system.

— joe domanick, Los Angeles Magazine, "How the Police Commission Got the LAPD to Buy Into De-Escalation," 13 July 2017
So are infants whose mothers smoked while pregnant or are exposed to cigarette smoke in the home.

— deborah yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky drug epidemic's smallest victims: Babies dying in their sleep," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pregnant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pregnant

Middle English, from Latin praegnant-, praegnans carrying a fetus, alteration of praegnas, from prae- pre- + -gnas (akin to gignere to give birth to) — more at kin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

pregnant Synonyms

Synonyms

big, caught, enceinte, expectant, expecting, gone, gravid, heavy, quick [archaic], with child, with young

Antonyms

nonpregnant

Related Words

parturient, prenatal; childbearing, gestational; brooding; conceiving, impregnated

Near Antonyms

barren, infertile; aborting, miscarrying; delivered

PREGNANT Defined for English Language Learners

pregnant

play

adjective

Definition of pregnant for English Language Learners

of a woman or female animal : having a baby or babies developing inside the body
: filled with meaning or emotion because of what is going to happen or be said