English Reference

Word

pregnancy

Phoneticspreg·nan·cy

US/ˈpɹɛɡnənsi/

UK/pɹˈɛɡnənsi/

Definitions

01the state of being pregnant

B1 · Medicine

n. the condition of having a baby growing inside the body.

n. the physiological state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus.

“She felt very healthy during her first pregnancy and exercised every day.”

“The medical team monitored the high-risk pregnancy closely to ensure both the mother and the fetus remained stable throughout the final trimester.”

Synonyms

02the time period

B1

n. the period of time from when a baby is conceived until it is born.

n. the duration of the gestational period from conception to parturition.

“Most people find that the second half of pregnancy goes by very quickly.”

“Nutritional requirements change significantly over the course of a human pregnancy to support the rapid development of the fetal nervous system.”

Synonyms

gestation period

Real-World Examples

“Instead, five pregnancies ended, for reasons she doesn’t know, before she could carry a baby to term.”
Al Jazeera · 14 Aug 2026
“It’s spread through coughs and sneezes, and is especially dangerous during pregnancy for developing babies.”
The Guardian · 13 Aug 2026
“In the “post-feminist” 1990s and early 2000s, female biology was seen as something to be suppressed and overcome, and the emphasis of most sex education was preventing teenage pregnancy.”
The Guardian · 12 Aug 2026

Etymology

From pregnant + -cy.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

pregnancyNounpregnantAdjective

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/pregnancy

English Reference