as in unsuccessful
producing no results
an abortive attempt to recover the sunken pirate ship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abortive
Trump hosts Ireland head of government Micheal Martin Although Democrats beat expectations in the midterm elections two years earlier, Biden headed into his abortive reelection bid with low job approval ratings.
—
W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
The picture arrives, of course, at a fallow time for Marvel, after a string of duds and an abortive attempt to introduce a new superhero phase following the climactic, stage-clearing (and absurdly lucrative) battles of Avengers: Endgame.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 July 2024
Less than a year and a half later, Mr. Lukashenko allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with an abortive thrust south from Belarus toward Kyiv.
—Tomas Dapkus, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Yet Texas law forbids its state maternal mortality review committee from looking into the deaths of patients who received an abortive procedure or medication, even in cases of miscarriage.
—Ziva Branstetter, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abortive
W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
The picture arrives, of course, at a fallow time for Marvel, after a string of duds and an abortive attempt to introduce a new superhero phase following the climactic, stage-clearing (and absurdly lucrative) battles of Avengers: Endgame.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 July 2024
Less than a year and a half later, Mr. Lukashenko allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with an abortive thrust south from Belarus toward Kyiv.
—Tomas Dapkus, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Yet Texas law forbids its state maternal mortality review committee from looking into the deaths of patients who received an abortive procedure or medication, even in cases of miscarriage.
—Ziva Branstetter, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abortive
Adjective
-
Barca even took a legal case against the regulations to a Catalan court but were unsuccessful.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
-
Their efforts were unsuccessful, paving the way for Read's retrial this spring.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
The researchers said their findings should not suggest afforestation and carbon offsetting are futile.—
Hayley Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
-
And beneath that fear lies a corrosive belief that resistance is futile.—
Elisa Manfredini,
Time,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abortive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abortive. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share