protective
[pruh-tek-tiv]
- having the quality or function of protecting: a protective covering.
- tending to protect.
- Economics. of, relating to, or designed to favor protectionism: protective tariffs.
- defensive(def 4).
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Origin of protective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for protective
Contemporary Examples
By drawing boundaries against wrongful conduct, law provides a protective zone of freedom within those boundaries.
For instance, how do you balance honesty with any protective urge?
Former Texas governor Ann Richards was a big fan of the Texas Rangers, a contingent of which was her protective detail.
Overnight people shed their fears, their protective camouflage and their restraints.
Spencer had returned from Guinea on Oct. 17, saying he was confident his protective gear had kept him from becoming infected.
Historical Examples
Why, the order of nature is reversed, and these children take on the protective.
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
There was protective tenderness in the gesture and the touch.
Quaint CourtshipsVarious
But to the cub the spectacle of her protective rage was pleasing.
White FangJack London
He had been moved, he supposed now, by a protective sentiment.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
Among birds, the ptarmigan is a fine example of protective colouring.
protective
- giving or capable of giving protection
- economics of, relating to, or intended for protection of domestic industries
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- something that protects
- a condom
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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 protective
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper