preventive

American  

[pri-ven-tiv] / prɪˈvɛn tɪv /

Also preventative

adjective

1. Medicine/Medical. of or noting a drug, vaccine, etc., for preventing disease; prophylactic.

2. serving to prevent or hinder.

   preventive measures.

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noun

1. Medicine/Medical. a drug or other substance for preventing disease.

2. a preventive agent or measure.

preventive British  

/ 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

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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

Other Word Forms

• nonpreventive adjective
• nonpreventively adverb
• nonpreventiveness noun
• preventively adverb
• preventiveness noun
• unpreventative adjective
• unpreventive adjective
• unpreventively adverb
• unpreventiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of preventive

First recorded in 1630–40; prevent + -ive

Example Sentences

“Over time the cholesterol builds up and it calcifies,” says Dr. Sadiya Khan, a preventive cardiologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Martha Gulati is a preventive cardiologist and the inaugural director of the Davis Women’s Heart Center at the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

India on Saturday ended the preventive detention of prominent Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk, freeing him six months after he was held over protests in the Himalayan region.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

"In reality, any potential preventive effect takes over a decade to appear, if it appears at all, while the bleeding risk begins immediately."

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

Wishbone is a little dog with big pretensions. preventive.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner