a|bor|tive — «uh BR tihv», adjective, noun. –adj. 1. coming to nothing; unsuccessful; fruitless: »Early attempts to make airplanes fly proved abortive. The League of Nations was part of an abortive effort to secure world peace. SYNONYM(S): ineffective, futile … Useful english dictionary
a|bor´tive|ness — a|bor|tive «uh BR tihv», adjective, noun. –adj. 1. coming to nothing; unsuccessful; fruitless: »Early attempts to make airplanes fly proved abortive. The League of Nations was part of an abortive effort to secure world peace. SYNONYM(S):… … Useful english dictionary
abortive — a•bor•tive [[t]əˈbɔr tɪv[/t]] adj. 1) failing to succeed; unsuccessful; fruitless: an abortive rebellion[/ex] 2) born prematurely 3) imperfectly developed; rudimentary 4) med producing or intended to produce abortion; abortifacient 5) med acting… … From formal English to slang
abortifacient — Abortive A*bor tive, n. 1. That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. A fruitless effort or issue. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 3. A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion; also … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Abortive — A*bor tive, a. [L. abortivus, fr. aboriri. See {Abort}, v.] 1. Produced by abortion; born prematurely; as, an abortive child. [R.] [1913 Webster] 2. Made from the skin of a still born animal; as, abortive vellum. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 3.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Abortive — A*bor tive, n. 1. That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. A fruitless effort or issue. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 3. A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion; also called… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Abortively — A*bor tive*ly, adv. In an abortive or untimely manner; immaturely; fruitlessly. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Abortiveness — A*bor tive*ness, n. The quality of being abortive. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
abortive — a|bor|tive [əˈbo:tıv US əˈbo:r ] adj an abortive action is not successful ▪ an abortive military coup abortive attempt/effort ▪ an abortive attempt to reform local government … Dictionary of contemporary English
abortive — a|bor|tive [ ə bɔrtıv ] adjective not finished and therefore not successful: an abortive takeover bid by the larger company an abortive attempt to climb Mt. Everest … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
