prophylactic

adjective pro·phy·lac·tic \ ˌprō-fə-ˈlak-tik also ˌprä- \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

1 : guarding from or preventing the spread or occurrence of disease or infection

2 : tending to prevent or ward off : preventive

—

prophylactically

play \ˌprō-fə-ˈlak-ti-k(ə-)lē also ˌprä-\ adverb

See prophylactic defined for English-language learners

See prophylactic defined for kids

Examples of prophylactic in a Sentence

the prophylactic use of antibiotics
the many prophylactic measures that city officials could have taken to reduce the scope of the disaster

Recent Examples of prophylactic from the Web

By government order, each person arriving in Uganda by boat is now put on a prophylactic course of antibiotics.

— max bearak, Washington Post, "Caught in Congo’s tides of war," 6 Apr. 2018
In 2014, a teenager intentionally inhaled the prophylactic, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

— lindsey bever, Philly.com, "In case you missed the 'condom-snorting challenge' - and didn't know it's a bad idea," 3 Apr. 2018
In 2014, a teenager intentionally inhaled the prophylactic, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

— lindsey bever, courant.com, "In case you missed the 'condom-snorting challenge' - and didn't know it's a bad idea," 3 Apr. 2018
In 2014, a teenager intentionally inhaled the prophylactic, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

— lindsey bever, BostonGlobe.com, "The ‘condom-snorting challenge’ is sweeping social media. Experts say it’s a bad idea," 2 Apr. 2018
But there is sharp disagreement over the prophylactic scope of the measure.

— warren richey, The Christian Science Monitor, "In Trump emoluments case, questions of ethics and constitutional intent," 23 Mar. 2018
With nearly all of the breast tissue removed, as is done in a prophylactic mastectomy, the risk is reduced by approximately 90 to 95 percent.

— SELF, "6 Things You Should Know Before Having Top Surgery," 22 Mar. 2018
Truvada for prophylactic use was also tested on 4,758 heterosexual couples with one HIV-positive partner in the Partners PrEP trial.

— jessica firger, Newsweek, "Truvada for HIV Prevention Proves Highly Effective," 3 Sep. 2015
Photo: Stephen Voss for The Wall Street Journal More patients with family histories of cancer are receiving genetic tests and undergoing prophylactic surgery.

— sumathi reddy, WSJ, "The Parent Has a Cancer Gene—Should the Child Get Surgery?," 6 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prophylactic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of prophylactic

Greek prophylaktikos, from prophylassein to be on guard, from pro- before + phylassein to guard, from phylak-, phylax guard

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1574

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

prophylactic Synonyms

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

prophylactic

noun

: something prophylactic; especially : a device and especially a condom for preventing venereal infection or conception

See prophylactic defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of prophylactic from the Web

Nary an instance of emergency room visits or poison control queries or pediatricians receiving frantic calls from parents whose teens have prophylactics blocking their airways.

— heidi stevens, chicagotribune.com, "Calm down about the condom challenge, grown-ups," 2 Apr. 2018
This includes marketing and making preventative medication called PrEP (pre exposure prophylactics) more available to high-risk candidates.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "'Test and Treat' approach to HIV epidemic could save lives," 30 Mar. 2018
When implemented as a mandatory smartphone prophylactic, Yondr becomes a means of control, not of choice, let alone of presence.

— marcel o’gorman, The Atlantic, "The Case for Locking Up Your Smartphone," 2 Feb. 2018
Their default skeptical stance is a prophylactic against the wiles of wishful thinking, a dare to true believers to provide extraordinary evidence in support of extraordinary claims.

— lee billings, Scientific American, "It’s Never Aliens—until It Is," 9 Jan. 2018
The answer, based on conversations with administration officials familiar with the selection process, comes down to tactics and prophylactics.

— Newsweek, "Analysis," 14 Mar. 2018
Some antidotes can be administered as prophylactics to troops about to go into battle, if there is a risk of nerve agents being employed.

— simon cotton, Scientific American, "Nerve Agents: What Are They and How Do They Work?," 9 Mar. 2018
Lockers seem to be the smartphone prophylactic of choice for French ministers who must attend meetings sans portable, but for school students, the ensuing nomophobia—the fear of being without your smartphone—might be enough to provoke a revolution.

— marcel o’gorman, The Atlantic, "The Case for Locking Up Your Smartphone," 2 Feb. 2018
Their main function is to make the broilers fatten up more quickly or to act as a prophylactic against the cramped conditions in which they are raised.

— The Economist, "Industrial farmingHow the use of antibiotics in poultry farming changed the way America eats," 21 Sep. 2017

First Known Use of prophylactic

circa 1641

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

PROPHYLACTIC Defined for English Language Learners

prophylactic

adjective

medical : designed to prevent disease

prophylactic

noun

medical : something that is designed to prevent the spread of disease or infection

Medical Dictionary

prophylactic

adjective pro·phy·lac·tic \ ˌprō-fə-ˈlak-tik also ˌpräf-ə- \

1 : guarding from or preventing the spread or occurrence of disease or infection

prophylactic therapy

2 : tending to prevent or ward off : preventive

—

prophylactically

play \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

prophylactic

noun

: something (as a medicinal preparation) that is prophylactic; especially : a device and especially a condom for preventing venereal infection or conception