aborted
adj.adj. stopped or ended before it was finished because something went wrong. You use this to describe a plan, mission, or process that failed to complete.
adj. terminated prematurely before reaching completion or full development. Often used to describe technical missions, medical procedures, or biological processes that cease before the expected end.
The pilot returned to the gate after an aborted takeoff.
The team analyzed the data from the aborted mission to ensure the next launch would be successful.
The project was eventually abandoned, leaving behind several aborted attempts at a software redesign that never reached the beta testing phase.
From abort + -ed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often used as a participial adjective before a noun or after a linking verb like 'remain'.
Last updated May 7, 2026