1. A reference to being incompletely developed: "Constance made an abortive effort to get her acting career back on track."
2. An intervention to end a pregnancy by removing an embryo or fetus from the womb: "The surgery which the veterinarian performed was an abortive effort and did not save the unborn calf."
3. Cutting short the course of a disease: "The normal course of the illness was not felt because of the abortive intervention by the medical specialists."
4. Failing to accomplish an objective, futile; imperfectly developed: "Marlene and Vincent made an abortive attempt to complete the project."