Preventive

/pɹɪˈvɛntɪv/ · adjective

Meaning

Preventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to..

Definitions by Sense

1. Preventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to.
2. Carried out to deter military aggression.
3. Slowing the development of an illness; prophylactic.
4. (obsolete) Going before; preceding.
5. (dated) A thing that prevents, hinders, or acts as an obstacle to.
6. (dated) A thing that slows the development of an illness.
7. A contraceptive, especially a condom.

Example Sentences

...and I sometimes think whether, like the ancient king, it would not be prudent to make an offering to destiny, and throw my set of emeralds into the lake." Emily could not but deprecate the emeralds being destined to any such preventive service;...

Physick is either curative or preventive.

Any previous counsel or preventive understanding.

Dogs should be warmly but airily housed; heartily, but not heatingly, fed — old Indian meal, mixed with oatmeal, suppawn, is the best general food, with a small quantity of salt, which is a preventive against worms […]

Eaten with sugar yaourt is very palatable and refreshing in warm weather and is said to be a preventive of fever.

Synonyms for preventive

Antonyms for preventive

Related Words

Word Forms

• more preventive
• most preventive
• preventative
• preventives

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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