Meanings
comparative more contraceptive · superlative most contraceptive
- That acts to prevent conception as a result of sexual intercourse.
She was careful to take her contraceptive pill at the same time every day.
1 more example
This has led to the selection of 4-guanidinobenzoates with either acetamenophen or ethylparaben as the phenol moiety for clinical evaluation, because they are orders of magnitude more contraceptive than nonoxynol-9 and less irritating to the vagina.
1994, P. F. A. Van Look, Gregorio Pérez-Palacios, World Health Organization, Contraceptive Research and Development, 1984-1994: The Road from Mexico City to Cairo and Beyond
plural contraceptives
- A mechanism or means by which conception as a result of sexual intercourse can be prevented or made less likely.
Putting a pig's bladder over one's penis before intercourse is not a good contraceptive.
2 more examples
The document covers the following family planning methods: combined oral contraceptives (COCs), combined injectable contraceptives (CICs), progestogen-only pills (POPs), depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), norethisterone enantate (NET-EN), levonorgestrel implants, emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), copper-bearing interuterine devices, levonorgestrel-releasing interuterine devices (LNG IUDs), fertility awareness-based methods, and sterilization.
2004, Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use, 2nd edition, World Health OrganizationThe US Food and Drug Administration has approved the oral contraceptive Opill for over-the-counter use, making it the first nonprescription birth control pill in the United States, but it will be months before it’s available. […] Amies Oelschlager said in a statement that oral contraceptives that contain estrogen may cause side effects such as headaches, nausea, and breast tenderness.
2023 July 21, Amanda Musa, “The FDA approved the US’ first over-the-counter birth control pill. What happens next?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2023
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecapable of preventing conception or impregnation
nounan agent or device intended to prevent conception
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Italic*kom
- Proto-Italic*kom-
- Proto-Italic*komteros
- Proto-Italic*komterād
- Latincontrā
- Englishcontra-
- Englishconceptive
- Englishcontraceptive
Coined in the 20th century from contra- + conceptive; compare the related contraception.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀτοκεῖον
- ἀτοκεῖον (atokeîon)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Bulgarian противозача́тъчен, контрацепти́вен
- противозача́тъчен (protivozačátăčen)that acts to prevent conception
- контрацепти́вен (kontraceptíven)that acts to prevent conception
- противозача́тъчно (protivozačátăčno)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Catalan anticonceptiu, anticonceptiu
- anticonceptiuthat acts to prevent conception
- anticonceptiumeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Chinese Mandarin 避孕的, 避孕藥 /避孕药
- 避孕的 (bìyùn de)that acts to prevent conception
- 避孕藥 /避孕药 (bìyùnyào)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- 避孕用具 (bìyùn yòngjù)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Czech antikoncepční, antikoncepce
- antikoncepčníthat acts to prevent conception
- antikoncepcemeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Dutch voorbehoedmiddel, voorbehoedsmiddel
- voorbehoedmiddelmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- voorbehoedsmiddelmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Esperanto kontraŭkoncipa, kontraŭkoncipilo
- kontraŭkoncipathat acts to prevent conception
- kontraŭkoncipilomeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Finnish ehkäisy-, ehkäisyväline
- ehkäisy-that acts to prevent conception
- ehkäisyvälinemeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
French contraceptif, contraceptif
- contraceptifthat acts to prevent conception
- contraceptifmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
German empfängnisverhütend, kontrazeptiv
- empfängnisverhütendthat acts to prevent conception
- kontrazeptivthat acts to prevent conception
- Kontrazeptivummeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- Empfängnisverhütungsmittelmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- Verhütungsmittelmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Greek αντισυλληπτικός, αντισυλληπτικό
- αντισυλληπτικός (antisylliptikós)that acts to prevent conception
- αντισυλληπτικό (antisylliptikó)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Hebrew אֶמְצָעִי מְנִיעָה, אֶמְצָעִי מְנִיעָה
- אֶמְצָעִי מְנִיעָה (emtsa'í meni'á)that acts to prevent conception
- אֶמְצָעִי מְנִיעָה (emtsa'í meni'á)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Hindi गर्भनिरोधक
- गर्भनिरोधक (garbhanirodhak)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Hungarian fogamzásgátló, fogamzásgátló
- fogamzásgátlóthat acts to prevent conception
- fogamzásgátlómeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Italian contraccettivo
- contraccettivothat acts to prevent conception
Japanese 避妊の, 避妊薬
- 避妊の (hinin no)that acts to prevent conception
- 避妊薬 (hinin'yaku)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Korean 피임의, 피임약
- 피임의 (piimui)that acts to prevent conception
- 피임약 (piimyak)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Latin atocium
- atociummeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Māori ārai hapū, ārai hapū
- ārai hapūthat acts to prevent conception
- ārai hapūmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Persian ضد بارداری, ضد بارداری
- ضد بارداری (zedd-e bârdâri)that acts to prevent conception
- ضد بارداری (zedd-e bârdâri)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Polish przeciwciążowy, antykoncepcyjny
- przeciwciążowythat acts to prevent conception
- antykoncepcyjnythat acts to prevent conception
- środek antykoncepcyjnymeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Portuguese contraceptivo, contracetivo
- contraceptivothat acts to prevent conception
- contracetivothat acts to prevent conception
- anticoncepcionalthat acts to prevent conception
- anticoncecionalthat acts to prevent conception
- contraceptivomeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- contracetivomeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- anticoncepcionalmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- anticoncecionalmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Romanian contraceptiv, anticoncepțional
- contraceptivthat acts to prevent conception
- anticoncepționalthat acts to prevent conception
- contraceptivmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Russian противозача́точный, контрацепти́вный
- противозача́точный (protivozačátočnyj)that acts to prevent conception
- контрацепти́вный (kontraceptívnyj)that acts to prevent conception
- контрацепти́в (kontraceptív)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- противозача́точное сре́дство (protivozačátočnoje srédstvo)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- противозача́точное (protivozačátočnoje)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Scottish Gaelic casg-gineamhainn
- casg-gineamhainnmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Spanish anticonceptivo, contraceptivo
- anticonceptivothat acts to prevent conception
- contraceptivothat acts to prevent conception
- contraconceptivothat acts to prevent conception
- anticoncepcionalthat acts to prevent conception
- anovulatoriothat acts to prevent conception
- anticonceptivomeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- contraceptivomeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- anticoncepcionalmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- anovulatoriomeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Swedish p-, preventivmedel
- p-that acts to prevent conception
- preventivmedelmeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Tagalog panlabanlihi, pang-agaw-lihi
- panlabanlihimeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- pang-agaw-lihimeans by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Ukrainian протизаплі́дний, контрацепти́вний
- протизаплі́дний (protyzaplídnyj)that acts to prevent conception
- контрацепти́вний (kontraceptývnyj)that acts to prevent conception
- протизаплі́дний за́сіб (protyzaplídnyj zásib)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
- контрацепти́в (kontraceptýv)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Urdu مانع حمل, مانع حمل
- مانع حمل (māne-e-hamaa)that acts to prevent conception
- مانع حمل (māne-e-hamal)means by which impregnating a woman can be prevented
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with contraceptive
All rhymes →Cite this entry
contraceptive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contraceptive
“contraceptive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contraceptive. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contraceptive,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contraceptive.
Source: contraceptive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.