abortion
abortion — noun
1. a medical procedure chosen by a pregnant woman to end her pregnancy on purpose,
a medical procedure chosen by a pregnant woman to end her pregnancy on purpose, usually carried out in the early weeks.
Maria decided to have an abortion after her doctor explained the serious health risks.
collocation: have an abortion
In some countries, doctors may only perform an abortion during the first twelve weeks.
collocation: perform an abortion + time-frame phrase
The new law gives women the right to a safe and legal abortion.
Activists marched outside Parliament to demand wider access to abortion services.
The clinic in Taipei offers counselling for women considering an abortion.
- termination
common medical-register synonym, especially in British English
- pregnancy termination
fuller, more clinical phrasing used in hospital settings
文法句型
have an abortion
perform an abortion
用法筆記
Frequently appears in legal, political, and medical contexts. Distinguish from sense 2 (miscarriage): this sense always implies a deliberate choice and a medical procedure, never a natural event.
常見錯誤
2. in technical or veterinary writing, the natural loss of an unborn human or anima
in technical or veterinary writing, the natural loss of an unborn human or animal foetus that leaves the body too soon to survive; in ordinary English, speakers normally say 'miscarriage' for humans.
Cold weather and poor food can cause abortion in sheep during the winter months.
veterinary use: abortion in [animal]
The vet at the dairy farm investigated several recent abortions among the cows.
countable, plural: abortions among [animals]
Medical textbooks may use 'spontaneous abortion' where everyday speakers say 'miscarriage'.
Dr. Lin warned the farmer that infection could trigger abortion in pregnant goats.
- miscarriage
the everyday word for an unintended human pregnancy loss
- spontaneous abortion
the matching technical term in medical writing
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes an unintended event, not a chosen procedure. Outside veterinary or technical writing, 'miscarriage' is strongly preferred for humans because 'abortion' is widely heard as deliberate.
常見錯誤
3. an angry or disgusted way of describing a plan, product, or piece of work that h
an angry or disgusted way of describing a plan, product, or piece of work that has gone completely wrong or looks horrible.
Critics called the new bridge in Glasgow an absolute abortion of a design.
pattern: an abortion of a + noun
Bram muttered that the team's first match of the season was a total abortion.
intensifier: total / absolute abortion
The fans on social media declared the film's ending an abortion.
Aunt Jean took one look at the wallpaper and called the whole renovation an abortion.
- disaster
much safer everyday choice for a failed plan
- fiasco
stresses public, embarrassing failure, without offensive overtones
- monstrosity
matches the 'extremely ugly' shade of meaning
文法句型
a + abortion + of + noun
用法筆記
Highly informal and offensive to many readers because of overlap with sense 1; use only with caution in writing. Often takes intensifiers like 'total', 'absolute', or 'complete', and the pattern 'an abortion of a [noun]'.