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a·bor·tive

abortive

 
pronunciation:
bor tihv
features:
Word Combinations (adjective)
part of speech: adjective
definition 1: failing to achieve a desired end; unsuccessful; fruitless.
Their abortive attack on the palace was a disaster for the rebels.
synonyms:
fruitless, ineffective, ineffectual, unproductive, unsuccessful
antonyms:
fruitful, successful
similar words:
barren, bootless, futile, unavailing, useless, vain
definition 2: imperfectly or incompletely developed; rudimentary.
The professor was less than impressed with his young students' abortive essays.
synonyms:
immature, rudimentary, unformed, unripe
similar words:
incomplete
definition 3: producing or intended to produce an abortion.
synonyms:
abortifacient
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivations: abortively (adv.), abortiveness (n.)