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Synonyms

preventive medicine

American  

noun

  1. the branch of medical science that deals with prevention of disease.

  2. a medication or other agent used for prophylaxis.

preventive medicine Cultural  

  1. A branch of medicine that promotes activities to prevent the occurrence of disease.

Etymology

Origin of preventive medicine

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"It is a lot about preventive medicine just now because there are limited medical supplies in space but with commercial flights, there could be a higher medical risk."

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

"The reason preventive medicine doesn't work right now is because you don't want to go to the doctor all the time to get things tested," says Ramses Alcaide, co-founder and CEO of startup Neurable.

From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026

The California-based entrepreneur told Slate she founded Loyal because she was motivated by one question: What if we could develop a preventive medicine for seemingly unrelated age-associated diseases?

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2025

These approaches align with our work as suicide prevention and preventive medicine researchers, where we study topics at the intersection of race, mental health and physical health promotion.

From Salon • Dec. 21, 2024

In a swift and decisive practice of preventive medicine, Dr. Snow removed the handle from the pump.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.