Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Failing to accomplish an intended objective; fruitless: an abortive attempt to conclude the negotiations.
- adj. Biology Partially or imperfectly developed: an abortive organ.
- adj. Causing or meant to cause abortion; abortifacient.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Brought forth in an imperfect condition; imperfectly formed or inadequately developed, as an animal or vegetable production; rudimentary.
- Suppressed; kept imperfect; remaining rudimentary, or not advancing to perfection in form or function: a frequent use of the term in zoölogy. Compare vestigial.
- Hence Not brought to completion or to a successful issue; failing; miscarrying; coming to nought: as, an abortive scheme.
- In botany, defective; barren. A. Gray.
- Producing nothing; chaotic; ineffectual.
- In medicine, producing or intended to produce abortion; abortifacient: as, abortive drugs.
- Deformed; monstrous.
- n. That which is produced prematurely; an abortion; a monstrous birth.
- n. A drug causing abortion; an abortifacient.
- To cause to fail or miscarry.
- To fail; perish; come to nought.
Wiktionary
- adj. medicine, rare, attributive Causing abortion; abortifacient
- adj. medicine Cutting short; acting to halt or slow the progress (of a disease).
- n. obsolete A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion, abortifacient.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. rare Produced by abortion; born prematurely.
- adj. obsolete Made from the skin of a still-born animal.
- adj. obsolete Rendering fruitless or ineffectual.
- adj. Coming to naught; failing in its effect; miscarrying; fruitless; unsuccessful.
- adj. (Biol.) Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile.
- adj. Causing abortion.
- adj. Cutting short.
- n. obsolete That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion.
- n. obsolete A fruitless effort or issue.
- n. A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion; -- also called an
abortifacient .
WordNet 3.0
- adj. failing to accomplish an intended result
Examples
“The term abortive organ has been thus applied to above structure (as”
The Foundations of the Origin of Species Two Essays written in 1842 and 1844
“There is another grand class of facts relating to what are called abortive organs.”
The Foundations of the Origin of Species Two Essays written in 1842 and 1844
“James, cut off in the prime of life, may almost be called the abortive”
Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known British Poets, Complete
“Romney this week toughened his language in decrying the new health care rule, on Monday saying the requirement to cover "contraceptives, morning-after pills, in other words abortive pills," was a "violation of conscience.”
“This just might be the same administration that said that the churches and the institutions they run such as schools and…adoptions agencies, hospitals, that they have to provide for their employees free of charge contraceptives, morning after pills, in other words abortive pills, and the like, at no cost," Romney added.”
“Mitt Romney, as Governor of Massachussetts, vetoed a contraception bill claiming the emergency contraception was an "abortive" drug.”
“He vetoed it because, he believes, EC is an "abortive" drug.”
“The "abortive" reference, though, was to an interesting little fight within the Clinton campaign in which Verdi was on the losing side.”
“Horrible irregularities dictated that the "abortive" elections should be declared null and void, Conservative Party leader Ferdi Hartzenberg said on”
“Tolkien's many admirers will claim that this had indeed been accomplished in The Lord of the Rings; and in the dozen years since the first edition appeared the book has been praised extravagantly; others remain outside the Secondary World of Middle-earth, or think that "abortive" is the right word.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘abortive’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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GRE 1100
drudgery, implore, hapless, nuance, wrest, incipient, inadvertent, tremulous, bristle, euphemism, disdain, pugnacious and 346 more...
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my gre list
its my gre word lists
abeyance, aberr, abash, abide, abhor, abject, abjure, ablution, abode, abolish, abominable, aboriginal and 19 more...
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inkhorn's Words
inkhorn, aplomb, apotheosis, asinine, avatar, bombastic, boorish, bromide, bucolic, cagey, canvass, digress and 991 more...
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SAT vocab
abash, abate, abdicate, aberration, abhor, abject, abnegate, abortive, absolve, abstruse, accolade, accost and 175 more...
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SAT Vocab
Redundant.
problematic, proclivity, prodigal, prodigious, prodigy, profane, profligate, profound, profusion, proliferation, prolific, prologue and 455 more...
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SAT PSAT ALPHABETICAL A
abandon, abash, abate, abjure, ablution, abnegate, abominable, aboriginal, abortive, abrade, abridge, abrogate and 172 more...
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My GRE words
abase, abate, aberrant, abet, abeyance, abject, abjure, ablution, abnegation, abortive, abrogate, abscission and 140 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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stpeter's Words
abase, abasement, abashed, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abhorrent, abide, abject, ablation, abnegation and 3536 more...
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Sat Vocabulary List
abandon, abash, abate, abjure, ablution, abnegate, abominable, aboriginal, abortive, abrade, abridge, abrogate and 2155 more...
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conglomeration
wherewithal, wan, zoonotic, zoonosis, nebulous, nefarious, nascent, quiescent, quell, undercroft, unwitting, unutterable and 658 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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Norman Lewis
All Words
ebullient, eccentric, eclectic, edify, efface, effusion, egalitarian, egocentric, egoist, egregious, elicit, elliptical and 907 more...
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