preventive

[pri-ven-tiv]

See more synonyms for preventive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

noun

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

Also pre·vent·a·tive

[pri-ven-tuh-tiv] /prɪˈvɛn tə tɪv/ (for defs 2, 4).

Origin of preventive

First recorded in 1630–40; prevent + -ive

Related formspre·ven·tive·ly, adverbpre·ven·tive·ness, nounnon·pre·ven·tive, adjectivenon·pre·ven·tive·ly, adverbnon·pre·ven·tive·ness, nounun·pre·vent·a·tive, adjectiveun·pre·ven·tive, adjectiveun·pre·ven·tive·ly, adverbun·pre·ven·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for preventive

Contemporary Examples

Migraine drugs fall into two categories: preventive and abortive.
How to Destroy Your Headaches
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad
June 23, 2014
Now, preventive protocols—like mammograms, colonoscopies, and Prostate-Specific Antigen tests—are being questioned.
Clinton Doc: This Is How We’ll Fix Health Care
Daniela Drake
June 12, 2014
Our current preventive routine focuses on treating such cardiac risk factors as hypertension and cholesterol.
Doctors Should Start Advocating Dietary Options to Treat Heart Disease
Daniela Drake
July 11, 2013
Already, the law has provided 54 million Americans free access to preventive services like check-ups and mammograms.
The GOP Is Terrified Obamacare Could Be a Success
Jon Favreau
July 11, 2013
By that he means solitary confinement is intended to be preventive, not punitive.
Extreme Solitary Confinement: What Did Bradley Manning Experience?
Caitlin Dickson
June 5, 2013

Historical Examples

I regret to say that I have no specific to give as a preventive for sea-sickness.
Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Daniel Turner Holmes
But the preventive power was what they preferred to exercise.
Policing the Plains
R.G. MacBeth
I understand some fool urged her to try this as a preventive of mal-de-mer.
The Idler Magazine, Volume III, April 1893
Various
Similarly, by preventive measures, we are controlling the other diseases.
A Handbook of Health
Woods Hutchinson
Unexpected as it may seem, vaccination is not only a preventive of smallpox, but a cure for it.
A Handbook of Health
Woods Hutchinson

British Dictionary definitions for preventive

preventive

adjective

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

noun

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

Also (except for sense 3): preventative (prɪˈvɛntətɪv)

Derived Formspreventively, adverbpreventiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for preventive

adj.

1630s, from Latin praevent-, past participle stem of praevenire (see prevent), + -ive. As a noun, from 1630s; in medical use from 1670s.

preventive in Medicine

preventive

(prĭ-vĕn′tĭv)

adj.

Preventing or slowing the course of an illness or disease; prophylactic.

A preventive agent or treatment.

preventive

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Examples from the Web for preventive

Contemporary Examples

Migraine drugs fall into two categories: preventive and abortive.

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

Our current preventive routine focuses on treating such cardiac risk factors as hypertension and cholesterol.

Already, the law has provided 54 million Americans free access to preventive services like check-ups and mammograms.

By that he means solitary confinement is intended to be preventive, not punitive.

Historical Examples

I regret to say that I have no specific to give as a preventive for sea-sickness.

But the preventive power was what they preferred to exercise.

I understand some fool urged her to try this as a preventive of mal-de-mer.

Similarly, by preventive measures, we are controlling the other diseases.

Unexpected as it may seem, vaccination is not only a preventive of smallpox, but a cure for it.

preventive

Word Origin and History for preventive

adj.

preventive

Origin of preventive