as in unsuccessful
producing no results
an abortive attempt to recover the sunken pirate ship
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Recent Examples of abortive
The picture arrives, of course, at a fallow time for Marvel after a string of duds and an abortive attempt to introduce a new superhero phase following the climactic, stage-clearing (and absurdly lucrative) battles of Avengers: Endgame.
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Zoe Guy, Vulture, 25 July 2024
The abortive investigation was overseen by Ralph Barrington, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department at the Essex Police.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
The novel’s denouement finds Lucy planning to stay on the farm to raise her child and David, humbled by an abortive attempt to return to Cape Town, working in the animal shelter near her property.
—Lauren Leblanc, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024
The people with transient and abortive responses developed a quick immune response—built up within about one day—inside their noses.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Zoe Guy, Vulture, 25 July 2024
The abortive investigation was overseen by Ralph Barrington, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department at the Essex Police.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
The novel’s denouement finds Lucy planning to stay on the farm to raise her child and David, humbled by an abortive attempt to return to Cape Town, working in the animal shelter near her property.
—Lauren Leblanc, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024
The people with transient and abortive responses developed a quick immune response—built up within about one day—inside their noses.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for abortive
Cite this Entry
“Abortive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abortive. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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