protective

[ pruh-tek-tiv ]

/ prəˈtɛk tɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR protective ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

First recorded in 1655–65; protect + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM protective

pro·tec·tive·ly, adverbpro·tec·tive·ness, nounnon·pro·tec·tive, adjectivenon·pro·tec·tive·ly, adverb

sem·i·pro·tec·tive, adjectivesem·i·pro·tec·tive·ly, adverbun·pro·tec·tive, adjectiveun·pro·tec·tive·ly, adverb

Words nearby protective

protecting, protection, protection ratio, protection test, protectionism, protective, protective colloid, protective coloration, protective custody, protective laryngeal reflex, protective slope

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for protective

By drawing boundaries against wrongful conduct, law provides a protective zone of freedom within those boundaries.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For instance, how do you balance honesty with any protective urge?
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Former Texas governor Ann Richards was a big fan of the Texas Rangers, a contingent of which was her protective detail.
My Love Letter to the Stetson|Mark McKinnon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Overnight people shed their fears, their protective camouflage and their restraints.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution|Michael Zantovsky|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In July 2014, Israel launched operation “Protective Edge” in the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Strip Before And After|Brandy Zadrozny|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The chief danger really was lest they become too settled in the protective attitude.
The Blazed Trail|Stewart Edward White
The protoplasm forms the living organism; the coat is a kind of protective covering or shell.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
Either the soul of an ancestor or that of a protective being is regarded as incorporated in the animal.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt
But there was one thing more alive in him at that moment than ever before, a sense of protective responsibility.
A Scout of To-day|Isabel Hornibrook
The withdrawal of protective legislation proved the turning-point in the fortunes of the British shipowner.
The Englishman in China During the Victorian Era, Vol. I (of 2)|Alexander Michie

British Dictionary definitions for protective

protective

/ (prəˈtɛktɪv) /

adjective

giving or capable of giving protection

economics of, relating to, or intended for protection of domestic industries

noun

something that protects

a condom

Derived forms of protective

protectively, adverbprotectiveness, 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

protective

adjective

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CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of protective

OTHER WORDS FROM protective

Words nearby protective

Words related to protective

Example sentences from the Web for protective

British Dictionary definitions for protective

adjective

noun

Derived forms of protective