deterrent
- serving or tending to deter.
Origin of deterrent
Synonyms for deterrent
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for deterrent
hindrance, obstacle, disincentive, shackle, preventative, leash, defense, bridle, rein, curb, discouragement, determent, check, preventiveExamples from the Web for deterrent
Contemporary Examples of deterrent
This is supposed to act as a deterrent, but may be an incitement.
Prosecutors described the verdict and the sentencing as a “deterrent.”
Still, there may be a deterrent for women that is far less spoken about, at least in polite circles.
Concealed carry is good for responding to a crime in progress; open carry is a deterrent to it.
These steps would be plausible, purely defensive, and a deterrent for starters.
Historical Examples of deterrent
The ease of getting a livelihood acts as a deterrent to ambition.
The Negro FarmerCarl Kelsey
It is a deterrent for others, not a healing process for the man himself.
The Soul of a PeopleH. Fielding
The school has in most cases been a deterrent to their progress, rather than a help.
The Measurement of IntelligenceLewis Madison Terman
This is only an imitation of nature, in which pain is a sanction and a deterrent.
FolkwaysWilliam Graham Sumner
Here we have a recrudescence of the idea that great penalties are deterrent.
FolkwaysWilliam Graham Sumner
deterrent
- something that deters
- a weapon or combination of weapons, esp nuclear, held by one state, etc, to deter attack by another
- tending or used to deter; restraining
Word Origin for deterrent
Word Origin and History for deterrent
1829, noun and adjective, in Bentham, from Latin deterrentem, present participle of deterrere (see deter). In reference to nuclear weapons, from 1954.