Standard Lemma guide

abortionist

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /əˈbɔɹ.ʃə.nɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 B AO1 R SH AH0 N IH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who performs abortions, especially illegally or secretly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: offensive, sometimes

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aborter, angel maker, jack-knife barber

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person who advocates for or supports the legality of abortion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

Examples

  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:abortionist.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pro-abortionist, pro-choicer, pro-deather

Antonyms: anti-abortionist, anti-choicer, fetus fetishist, forced-birther, pro-lifer, right-to-lifer

3

noun

Meaning 3

a person (who should be a doctor) who terminates pregnancies

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: doctor, doc, physician, MD, Dr., medico

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English abortion Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English abortionist From abortion + -ist.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: aborteur — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Dutch: aborteuse — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Esperanto: abortigisto — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Esperanto: virabortigisto — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Esperanto: abortigistino — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Esperanto: geabortigistoj — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • French: avorteur — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • French: avorteuse — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • French: médecin avorteur — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • German: Abtreiber — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • German: Abtreiberin — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • German: Abtreibungsarzt — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • German: Abtreibungsärztin — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • German: Abtreibungshelfer — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • German: Abtreibungshelferin — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Hungarian: abortőr — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Polish: aborter — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Polish: aborcjonista — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Polish: aborcjonistka — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Portuguese: aborteiro — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Portuguese: aborteira — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Spanish: abortista — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Spanish: abortero — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Spanish: abortera — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Tagalog: abortista — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Tagalog: aborsiyonista — person who performs abortions — see also angel maker
  • Dutch: voorstander van abortus — person who advocates for or supports the legality of abortion
  • German: Abtreibungsbefürworter — person who advocates for or supports the legality of abortion
  • German: Abtreibungsbefürworterin — person who advocates for or supports the legality of abortion
  • Portuguese: abortista — person who advocates for or supports the legality of abortion
  • Spanish: abortista — person who advocates for or supports the legality of abortion