SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
abortive
adjective
Ending without the intended result or success.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Failing to succeed
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topAbortive often describes an attempt that ends before achieving its purpose.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See abortive in use
An abortive attempt to repair the lock delayed their departure.
One member suggested choosing the first available space purely for expediency, even if visitors would struggle to find it. The chair recalled an abortive attempt at the previous meeting to settle the question without a map.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license