pre·ven·tive
pri-ˈven-tiv 
: devoted to or concerned with prevention : precautionary
preventive steps against soil erosion
: such as
a
: designed or serving to prevent the occurrence of disease
preventive medical care
b
: undertaken to forestall anticipated hostile action
a preventive coup
preventively
adverb
preventiveness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of preventive in a Sentence
Adjective
Farmers are covering their crops as a preventive measure against frost.
We'll take whatever preventive action is necessary.
Noun
if people took the simple preventive of frequently washing their hands, the spread of germs could be greatly reduced
Recent Examples on the Web
Robin Cole, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Public health officials say removing fluoride could be particularly harmful to low-income families — for whom drinking water may be the only source of preventive dental care.
—Melba Newsome, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Nearly 60% of infections were also resistant to the preventive antibiotic administered during surgery, the antiseptic used to clean the skin before incision or both.
—Chloe Bryson-Cahn, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2024
Her objective remained the same: to get Mercy Health to submit a claim with a preventive code.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024
Their presence in forest areas is a preventive measure in itself.
—Paul Tugwell, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
The Bassoon variant may one day help drugmakers develop preventive medicines, according to Yeo.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
The preventive drug should be more effective against current COVID variants than its predecessor, Evusheld.
—Syeda Khaula Saad, Verywell Health, 2 Apr. 2024
Elsewhere there’s a center for preventive medicine, more high-end restaurants, museums, and art galleries—including the new teamLab Borderless.
—Michelle Gross, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
David J. Waters, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015
Padlocks, sickles and other objects made of iron, a metal said to possess anti-demonic powers, were stashed in the grave as preventives.
—Franz Lidz, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
But although human vaccines function primarily as preventives, offering immunity to animals such as black-footed ferrets can be a conservation strategy of last resort.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 June 2023
Finding and treating the stomach infection Helicobacter pylori can also be considered as a preventive for people who are about to start a course on NSAIDs.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023
In the end, however, experts say there is only one true preventive — or cure — for a hangover: Don’t drink.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 30 Dec. 2022
Once experts predict a potential outbreak, who funds the necessary preventive and containment measures?
—Mallory Locklear, Discover Magazine, 20 Aug. 2018
And yet little is being done in response to the danger, let alone as a preventive to keep the situation from going further off the rails.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 July 2022
When given as a preventive, it is meant as a two-dose vaccine given four weeks apart, which research suggests can reduce the risk of infection by about 85%.
—Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 14 July 2022
Adjective
Thanks to national screening guidelines and advancements in preventive care, most prostate cancers are caught early, when the five-year survival rate is nearly 100 percent.
—Robin Cole, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Public health officials say removing fluoride could be particularly harmful to low-income families — for whom drinking water may be the only source of preventive dental care.
—Melba Newsome, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Nearly 60% of infections were also resistant to the preventive antibiotic administered during surgery, the antiseptic used to clean the skin before incision or both.
—Chloe Bryson-Cahn, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2024
Her objective remained the same: to get Mercy Health to submit a claim with a preventive code.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024
Their presence in forest areas is a preventive measure in itself.
—Paul Tugwell, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
The Bassoon variant may one day help drugmakers develop preventive medicines, according to Yeo.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
The preventive drug should be more effective against current COVID variants than its predecessor, Evusheld.
—Syeda Khaula Saad, Verywell Health, 2 Apr. 2024
Elsewhere there’s a center for preventive medicine, more high-end restaurants, museums, and art galleries—including the new teamLab Borderless.
—Michelle Gross, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Indeed, failure to do so proved disastrous for some early human trials of preventives.
—David J. Waters, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015
Padlocks, sickles and other objects made of iron, a metal said to possess anti-demonic powers, were stashed in the grave as preventives.
—Franz Lidz, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
But although human vaccines function primarily as preventives, offering immunity to animals such as black-footed ferrets can be a conservation strategy of last resort.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 June 2023
Finding and treating the stomach infection Helicobacter pylori can also be considered as a preventive for people who are about to start a course on NSAIDs.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023
In the end, however, experts say there is only one true preventive — or cure — for a hangover: Don’t drink.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 30 Dec. 2022
Once experts predict a potential outbreak, who funds the necessary preventive and containment measures?
—Mallory Locklear, Discover Magazine, 20 Aug. 2018
And yet little is being done in response to the danger, let alone as a preventive to keep the situation from going further off the rails.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 July 2022
When given as a preventive, it is meant as a two-dose vaccine given four weeks apart, which research suggests can reduce the risk of infection by about 85%.
—Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 14 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preventive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Preventive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preventive. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
preventive
1 of 2 noun
pre·ven·tive
pri-ˈvent-iv
: something that prevents
especially
: something used to prevent disease
preventive
2 of 2 adjective
: concerned with or used for prevention
preventive measures
preventive medicine
Medical Definition
preventive
2 of 2 adjective
: devoted to or concerned with the prevention of disease
preventive drug therapy
preventive psychiatry
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