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contraceptive

noun

Simple meaning

An agent or device intended to prevent conception.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kahntruhsehptiv

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

kɑntɹəˈsɛptɪv

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An agent or device intended to prevent conception

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

This meaning: An agent or device intended to prevent conception

Used this way, contraceptive is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in technical or specialist writing contexts.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Technical/specialist writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Nearby words

  • contraceptive device , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

contraceptive pillcontraceptive methodcontraceptive devicecontraceptive usecontraceptive servicescontraceptive practicecontraceptive informationcontraceptive technology

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • contraceptive devicenounCompound term

    An agent or device intended to prevent conception.

  • contraceptive diaphragmnounCompound term

    A contraceptive device consisting of a flexible dome-shaped cup made of rubber or plastic.

  • contraceptive methodnounCompound term

    Birth control by the use of devices (diaphragm or intrauterine device or condom) or drugs or surgery.

  • contraceptive pillnounCompound term

    A contraceptive in the form of a pill containing estrogen and progestin to inhibit ovulation and so prevent conception.

  • oral contraceptivenounCompound term

    A contraceptive in the form of a pill containing estrogen and progestin to inhibit ovulation and so prevent conception.

  • oral contraceptive pillnounCompound term

    A contraceptive in the form of a pill containing estrogen and progestin to inhibit ovulation and so prevent conception.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: agent or device intended to prevent conception

contraceptive deviceRareprophylactic

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.