MEANING
Failing to achieve its intended result, often after being abandoned or cut short.
Use it for
describing an unsuccessful attempt at reform; showing a plan stopped without reaching its goal; distinguishing a failed initiative from a completed but imperfect outcomeMarks an attempt that fails to reach its intended result, rather than merely an action that produces mixed benefits. Writing functions: Evaluation / Limitation, Change / Pattern / Trend.
Words that belong together
- an abortive attempt
- an abortive coup
- an abortive negotiation
On the page
The archive contains records of three abortive attempts to establish the school.
After the abortive negotiation, both parties returned to their earlier positions.
Word forms
- Base
- abortive
Usage notes
Adjective, commonly before attempt, effort, plan, or coup. Not ordinarily inflected for comparison. Register: formal. Commonness: uncommon (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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