ethinyl estradiol

noun

: a very potent synthetic estrogen C₂₀H₂₄O₂ used especially as an oral contraceptive

Examples of ethinyl estradiol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The combination of norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol has been available since 1968 as a contraceptive. —Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 30 July 2024

Taytulla, also called ethinyl estradiol, gained Food and Drug Administration approval in 2013. —Austen Hufford, WSJ, 29 May 2018

Tyler’s experiments looked at one type of synthetic estrogen: ethinyl estradiol, or EE2, which is found in oral contraceptives like TriNessa and Seasonique. —Becky Little, Smithsonian, 31 July 2017

One environmental estrogen is ethinyl estradiol—a chemical found in birth control pills. —National Geographic, 3 Feb. 2016

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ethinyl estradiol

noun

variants or ethynylestradiol

ˌeth-ə-nil-ˌes-trə-ˈdī-ˌȯl  -ˌōl 

or chiefly British ethinyloestradiol or ethynyloestradiol

ˌeth-ə-nil-ˌē-strə-ˈdī-ˌȯl  -ē-ˈstrad-ē-ˌȯl 

-ˌōl

: a white crystalline very potent synthetic estrogen C₂₀H₂₄O₂ prepared from estrone and used in combination (as with norgestrel or norethindrone) as a birth control pill or alone in the treatment of menopausal symptoms or female hypogonadism or in the palliative treatment of prostate or breast cancer see loestrin, minastrin, nuvaring, ortho evra, ortho-novum, ortho tri-cyclen, seasonale, seasonique, yasmin, yaz