abortive
adjective
abor·tive
ə-ˈbȯr-tiv 
1
obsolete
: prematurely born
2
3
: imperfectly formed or developed
4
: tending to cut short
abortively
adverb
abortiveness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of abortive in a Sentence
an abortive attempt to recover the sunken pirate ship
Recent Examples on the Web
The Failure of Union: Central America, 1824-1960 A study of the abortive efforts by Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica to form some type of larger federal union.
—
Henry L. Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
As China has repeatedly made clear as far back as former President Donald Trump’s abortive attempt to force a TikTok sale, that divestiture isn’t going to happen—Beijing would block any sale.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024
His stoking of culture wars pleased the GOP base but sometimes fizzled as policy, such as abortive efforts to create a tip line for parents to complain about teachers and principals and a rewrite of state history standards that was widely criticized as racially insensitive and inaccurate.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
After Shogun went through years of abortive efforts to get into production at FX, husband and wife Justin Marks (Top Gun: Maverick) and Rachel Kondo (previously a fiction writer) boarded the project in 2018 as the new co-creators and executive producers, spearheading a whole new set of scripts.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abortive 
Henry L. Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
As China has repeatedly made clear as far back as former President Donald Trump’s abortive attempt to force a TikTok sale, that divestiture isn’t going to happen—Beijing would block any sale.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024
His stoking of culture wars pleased the GOP base but sometimes fizzled as policy, such as abortive efforts to create a tip line for parents to complain about teachers and principals and a rewrite of state history standards that was widely criticized as racially insensitive and inaccurate.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
After Shogun went through years of abortive efforts to get into production at FX, husband and wife Justin Marks (Top Gun: Maverick) and Rachel Kondo (previously a fiction writer) boarded the project in 2018 as the new co-creators and executive producers, spearheading a whole new set of scripts.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abortive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abortive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near abortive
Cite this Entry
“Abortive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abortive. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
abortive
adjective
abor·tive
ə-ˈbȯrt-iv
1
: unsuccessful in achieving the desired conclusion or result
an abortive escape attempt
2
: imperfectly formed or developed : rudimentary
abortively
adverb
abortiveness
noun
Medical Definition
abortive
adjective
abor·tive
ə-ˈbȯrt-iv
1
: imperfectly formed or developed : rudimentary
2
a
b
: cutting short
abortive treatment of pneumonia
c
: failing to develop completely or typically
an abortive case of poliomyelitis
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