Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

abortive

adjective
 
 
/əˈbɔː.tɪv/ US  /-ˈbɔːr.t̬ɪv/ formal

Definition

describes an attempt or plan that you have to give up because it has failed: He made two abortive attempts on the French throne.Unsuccessful (people and things)
(Definition of abortive adjective from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
Focus on the pronunciation of abortive