preventive

[ pri-ven-tiv ]

adjective

1. Medicine/Medical. of or noting a drug, vaccine, etc., for preventing disease; prophylactic.
2. serving to prevent or hinder:

   preventive measures.

noun

1. Medicine/Medical. a drug or other substance for preventing disease.
2. a preventive agent or measure.

preventive

/ prɪˈvɛntɪv /

adjective

1. tending or intended to prevent or hinder
2. med
   1. tending to prevent disease; prophylactic
   2. of or relating to the branch of medicine concerned with prolonging life and preventing disease
3. (in Britain) of, relating to, or belonging to the customs and excise service or the coastguard

noun

1. something that serves to prevent or hinder
2. med any drug or agent that tends to prevent or protect against disease
3. another name for contraceptive

Derived Forms

• preˈventiveness, noun
• preˈventively, adverb

Other Words From

• pre·ventive·ly adverb
• pre·ventive·ness noun
• nonpre·ventive adjective
• nonpre·ventive·ly adverb
• nonpre·ventive·ness noun
• unpre·venta·tive adjective
• unpre·ventive adjective
• unpre·ventive·ly adverb
• unpre·ventive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of preventive¹

First recorded in 1630–40; prevent + -ive

Example Sentences

Yet here we are in 2014, still arguing over our right to have access to this important preventive care.

From The Daily Beast

Migraine drugs fall into two categories: preventive and abortive.

From The Daily Beast

Now, preventive protocols—like mammograms, colonoscopies, and Prostate-Specific Antigen tests—are being questioned.

From The Daily Beast

There have been studies that demonstrated a clear preventive benefit for circumcised males.

From The Daily Beast

Something like reducing obesity can be best done through preventive care that kicks in well before a person has a BMI in the 40s.

From The Daily Beast

Thus if a man threatened to fill up your well because it stood, as he claimed, on his land, you had no preventive remedy at law.

From Project Gutenberg

It is usual to have recourse to this valuable invention only when disease is actually existing—as a preventive, it is neglected.

From Project Gutenberg

For instance, the decrease may have been due to extra preventive work done by welfare officers.

From Project Gutenberg

As to the use of antitoxin as a preventive and cure for diphtheria, too much praise cannot be given to that wonderful discovery.

From Project Gutenberg

Or, a better preventive is a canvass or leather cap to protect the neck entirely from the storm.

From Project Gutenberg