preventative

1 of 2

adjective

pre·​ven·​ta·​tive pri-ˈven-tə-tiv How to pronounce preventative (audio)
: devoted to or concerned with preventing something from happening : preventive entry 1
The best preventative medicine that you can give to your plants is to mulch them.Ann Whynman
Los Angeles County promised to revamp its system, gradually reducing the use of expensive inpatient hospitals through more preventative care at outpatient clinics.Jonathan Cohn

preventative

2 of 2

noun

plural preventatives
: something that serves to prevent something from occurring : preventive entry 2
We've got the live vaccinia virus vaccine as a preventative for smallpox …D. A. Henderson et al.
Green onions are a mosquito preventative.Garrison Keillor

Examples of preventative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Related: The push to get estrogen FDA-approved for gender-affirming care There are sometimes preventative measures for undergoing puberty early. Alexa Lee, STAT, 7 Mar. 2024 Ski resorts across California have preventative measures to minimize avalanche danger, including explosives, cutting the snow with skis, checking snow pits and studying the slopes, according to the Ski California website. Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 Tim Lacey, owner of Chicago’s Atelier—which charges a full prepaid reservation deposit of $165 per person—says that a fee is a preventative measure against cancellations and no-shows. Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 29 Feb. 2024 Estate planning is important as a preventative measure, Goss said. Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2024 What’s more, Generative AI could help to enhance preventative medicine. Bernard Marr, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Across California, ski resorts have preventative measures to minimize the possibility of an avalanche, including explosives, cutting the snow with skis, checking snow pits and studying the slopes, according to the Ski California website. Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2024 Implementing preventative measures and learning from past crises can fortify an organization against future uncertainties. Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 The agreement announced Tuesday with Apache Corporation calls for the company to pay $4 million in penalties and spend more than $5 million on preventative measures to reduce emissions at its wells in the Permian Basin, which spans parts of New Mexico and Texas. Susan Montoya Bryan, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
Noun
Shiva is spayed, current on vaccinations and preventatives. Stephanie Baillargeon-McCurry and, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024 Also, be sure to budget for health care maintenance items like preventatives for heartworms, intestinal parasites, fleas and ticks. Laurie Larsh, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 Routine care includes: Annual wellness exams Food or supplements Heartworm preventatives Spaying or neutering Some companies offer wellness riders as add-ons to accident and illness or accident-only policies. Kat Tretina, wsj.com, 8 Jan. 2024 Remember, protecting your furry friend from heartworms requires a proactive approach that involves administering preventive medication as prescribed, reducing exposure to mosquitoes, regular testing, and considering combination preventatives or shots. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 22 June 2023 A lot of people are baffled at this behavior—at balking at something so basic, a disease transmission preventative that has such a low barrier to access. Emily Willingham, Scientific American, 29 June 2020 Regularly use flea and tick preventatives recommended by your veterinarian to keep these pesky critters at bay. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2023 But Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company in California, was recently authorized by the F.D.A. to develop an oral preventative for Lyme using lotilaner, the active ingredient in Credelio, a veterinary medication prescribed for dogs and cats to prevent fleas and ticks. Sue Halpern, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2021 Image courtesy Chewy Bravecto Chewable Tablets for Dogs is a monthly flea and tick preventative for dogs that kills pests within two hours and ticks within 12 hours. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preventative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1655, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of preventative was in 1651

Dictionary Entries Near preventative

Cite this Entry

“Preventative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preventative. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

preventative

adjective or noun
pre·​ven·​ta·​tive pri-ˈvent-ət-iv How to pronounce preventative (audio)

Medical Definition

preventative

adjective or noun
pre·​ven·​ta·​tive pri-ˈvent-ət-iv How to pronounce preventative (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on preventative

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