pro-life

adjective

Opposed to the practice or legalization of abortion.

“They were pro-life except in cases of rape, incest, or risk to the life or health of the mother.”

Similar
anti-abortionantichoice
Opposite
anti-lifepro-deathpro-choice
OriginEnglish life ← Middle English lyf ← Old English līf →
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Meanings

adjectivepro-life (comparative more pro-life, superlative most pro-life)

comparative more pro-life · superlative most pro-life · alternative prolife

  1. Of, pertaining to, or supportive of the right to life; believing that life should be protected from its beginning to natural death in all or most circumstances.
    1. USOpposed to the practice or legalization of abortion.

      They were pro-life except in cases of rape, incest, or risk to the life or health of the mother.

      Synonyms: anti-abortion

    2. specificallyOpposed to the legalization of euthanasia.
    3. specificallyOpposed to the legalization of capital punishment.
    4. specificallyOpposed to suicide.

      Suicidal people can have discussions about suicide on pro-life peer-to-peer forums and hotlines without fear of judgment or intervention.

      2016, Jennings Brown, The sordid history of the first sanctioned suicide forum

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveOpposed to the practice or legalization of abortion.

Similar
anti-abortion
Similar
antichoice
Opposite
anti-lifepro-death
Broader
consistent life ethic

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveadvocating full legal protection of embryos and fetuses (especially opposing the legalization of induced abortions)

Opposite
pro-choice
Also see
antiabortionpro-birth

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pró
  4. Proto-Italic*prō
  5. Latinprō
  6. Englishpro-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*leyp-
  8. Proto-Germanic*lībaną
  9. Proto-Germanic*lībą
  10. Proto-West Germanic*līb
  11. Old Englishlīf
  12. Middle Englishlyf
  13. Englishlife
  14. Englishpro-life

From pro- + life.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish abortinvastainen
  • abortinvastainenopposed to abortion
French anti-avortement
  • anti-avortementopposed to abortion
German Anti-Abtreibungs-
  • Anti-Abtreibungs-opposed to abortion
Hungarian életpárti, életpárti
  • életpártibelieving that life should be protected
  • életpártiopposed to abortion
  • magzatvédőopposed to abortion
Polish pro-life
  • pro-lifeopposed to abortion
Portuguese pró-vida
  • pró-vidaopposed to abortion
Spanish provida, provida
  • providabelieving that life should be protected
  • providaopposed to abortion
  • antiabortistaopposed to abortion
Cite this entry
APA

pro-life. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pro-life

MLA

“pro-life.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pro-life. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pro-life,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pro-life.

Source: pro-life on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.