as in unsuccessful
producing no results
an abortive attempt to recover the sunken pirate ship
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Recent Examples of abortive
Our main girl, Diva, is a diva down, forced into abortive encounters with the A.I. that stands, literally, between the goods and services supportive of her everyday life.
—
Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2025
Garbowit recalls that there were only around sixteen members of Congress lined up behind Thanedor’s abortive resolution—so the fact that Green’s follow-up motion garnered seventy-nine supporters in the caucus is a sign of progress.
—Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Brat Summer, last year’s abortive attempt to turn the screechy Charli XCX album of that name into a culture-spanning event, has given way to a season without name or form.
—Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2025
Netanyahu could also try to replace Halevi with a more pliant chief of the general staff, but doing so would be legally and politically fraught and would likely cause even more public outrage than his abortive dismissal of Gallant.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 9 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2025
Garbowit recalls that there were only around sixteen members of Congress lined up behind Thanedor’s abortive resolution—so the fact that Green’s follow-up motion garnered seventy-nine supporters in the caucus is a sign of progress.
—Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Brat Summer, last year’s abortive attempt to turn the screechy Charli XCX album of that name into a culture-spanning event, has given way to a season without name or form.
—Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2025
Netanyahu could also try to replace Halevi with a more pliant chief of the general staff, but doing so would be legally and politically fraught and would likely cause even more public outrage than his abortive dismissal of Gallant.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 9 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abortive
Adjective
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Multiple attempts to reach the property owner were unsuccessful.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
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There is some hope within the organization that Blackburn can follow a path similar to the one that Luke Weaver took, as the ex-Yank transitioned from an unsuccessful starter to a high-leverage reliever while making relatively little money with the team.—
Gary Phillips,
Hartford Courant,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Even with the spotlight, Méndez said the debate feels futile.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
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Even subtle futile cycles – processes in which molecules are repeatedly built and broken down – consume energy and generate heat.—
Claudio Villanueva,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abortive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abortive. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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