pregnant

pregnant — adjective

1. (of a woman or female animal) with an unborn baby or young still growing inside

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

(of a woman or female animal) with an unborn baby or young still growing inside the body.

Example

Nina is seven months pregnant with her first child.

pattern: be pregnant with [child]

The mare looked pregnant, so the vet examined her at once.

Common collocations
  • be pregnant
  • get pregnant
  • become pregnant
  • pregnant with twins
  • heavily pregnant
Synonyms
  • expecting

    common and a little softer in everyday use for people

  • with child

    older or literary expression

  • gravid

    medical and mainly used by professionals

Grammar Patterns

be pregnant

be pregnant with twins

become pregnant

get pregnant

Usage Note

Usually appears after verbs such as 'be', 'become', and 'get'. Use 'pregnant with' when you name the number or type of babies, as in 'pregnant with twins'.

Common Mistakes

My sister is pregnant of twins.
My sister is pregnant with twins.
use 'with', not 'of', before the baby or babies.
The doctor said Lana has pregnant.
The doctor said Lana is pregnant.
use the adjective after a linking verb such as 'be'.

2. carrying an important meaning, feeling, or result that is present but not yet cl

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

carrying an important meaning, feeling, or result that is present but not yet clearly spoken or understood.

Example

The room fell quiet after Ken's pregnant pause at dinner.

collocation: pregnant pause

Lena's pregnant smile made the whole class expect big news.

Common collocations
  • pregnant pause
  • pregnant silence
  • pregnant look
  • pregnant smile
  • pregnant moment
Synonyms
  • meaningful

    broader and more neutral

  • suggestive

    stresses that something hints at more than it says

  • loaded

    more informal and often stronger in tone

Antonyms
  • empty

    without special meaning or implication

  • plain

    direct and without hidden feeling

Grammar Patterns

pregnant pause

pregnant silence

pregnant look

Usage Note

Often modifies nouns like 'pause', 'silence', 'look', and 'smile'. Distinguish from adjective/3: this sense leaves the exact message unstated, while adjective/3 usually names it after 'with'.

3. showing a great deal of a particular quality or feeling, especially in the patte

3.adjectiveC2
Definition

showing a great deal of a particular quality or feeling, especially in the pattern 'pregnant with something'.

Example

The old song is pregnant with grief and quiet anger.

formal pattern: pregnant with + noun

Maria's short reply was pregnant with shame and deep regret.

Common collocations
  • pregnant with hope
  • pregnant with danger
  • pregnant with possibility
  • pregnant with grief
  • pregnant with meaning
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • empty

    lacking the quality or feeling being talked about

  • blank

    without emotional or expressive content

Grammar Patterns

pregnant with hope

pregnant with danger

pregnant with possibility

Usage Note

Formal and usually followed by 'with' plus a noun. Unlike adjective/2, this sense names the exact quality directly, as in 'pregnant with hope' or 'pregnant with danger'.

Common Mistakes

The poem is pregnant of sadness.
The poem is pregnant with sadness.
this formal pattern takes 'with', not 'of'.
Idioms

a pregnant pause/silence

idiom

A moment of silence that feels full of meaning or emotion.

After his question, there was a pregnant silence in the room.

Did you notice the pregnant pause before Maya answered?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Pregnant' is the normal everyday word for a woman or female animal carrying a baby or young inside the body. 'Expecting' is common for people and often sounds softer or more personal, especially in conversation. 'With child' is older and more literary, so it appears more in novels than in daily speech. 'Gravid' is medical or technical and is often used by doctors, scientists, or in writing about animals. In most ordinary situations, 'pregnant' is the safest choice. You can say 'Maya is pregnant' in neutral English, 'Maya is expecting' in a warmer tone, and 'the mare is gravid' in veterinary or scientific writing.

expectingwith childgravid

Etymology

LatinMiddle EnglishEnglish

English took 'pregnant' from Latin 'praegnans' or 'praegnant-', meaning 'with child'. The Latin form was probably built from parts meaning 'before' and 'be born'. From the literal idea of carrying a child before birth, English later developed figurative uses for something full of meaning, feeling, or future result.