as in unsuccessful
producing no results
an abortive attempt to recover the sunken pirate ship
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Recent Examples of abortive
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
In the abortive March 2022 draft deals, Russia even expressed a willingness to return to preinvasion lines.
—Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025
Despite being hurt by a number of abortive early stabs at voice recognition in decades gone by, voice recognition when done well can actually provide a uniquely direct way of accessing content and features on modern TVs.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Nove dissected key episodes in Soviet economic history, from the New Economic Policy of the 1920s and farm collectivization in the 1930s to the heavy industry drive and abortive economic reforms under Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and other Soviet leaders.
—Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2025
In the abortive March 2022 draft deals, Russia even expressed a willingness to return to preinvasion lines.
—Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025
Despite being hurt by a number of abortive early stabs at voice recognition in decades gone by, voice recognition when done well can actually provide a uniquely direct way of accessing content and features on modern TVs.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Nove dissected key episodes in Soviet economic history, from the New Economic Policy of the 1920s and farm collectivization in the 1930s to the heavy industry drive and abortive economic reforms under Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and other Soviet leaders.
—Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abortive
Adjective
-
Barkan’s was one of several unsuccessful progressive campaigns Mamdani worked on before getting a job as a foreclosure prevention counselor at a nonprofit.—
Ben Adler,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
-
There have been a handful of topping bids this year, including an unsuccessful attempt by hedge fund Alden Global to beat out Hearst in its deal for the Dallas Morning News.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, over on the blanket, Hine and Lemmon begin a rather futile attempt to teach the rest of us backgammon.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Understanding each other is futile.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abortive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abortive. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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