as in defensive
intended to resist or prevent attack or aggression
the cat drew back its ears and sank into a protective posture as the dog approached it
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Recent Examples of protective
Rabell was pressured to sign money transfers and a power of attorney document and pay a $2,000 deposit to an owner, adult protective investigator Eneida Senrra said under oath to Gardner, the Inspector General investigator.
—
Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Once Orion blazes through Earth's atmosphere, a protective heat shield will be cast off to make way for parachutes to deploy and slow the vehicle down.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Chow Chow-German shepherd mixes are often intelligent, loyal and protective, but can also inherit an independent streak that makes consistent training and early socialization especially important, an article from Hepper states.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
According to the complaint, the company initially reassured customers that firewall protections were not affected, delaying Marquis' ability to take protective action.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
On a recent morning, birds chirped and hopped from tree to tree under a clear blue morning sky as a man in a respirator and protective earmuffs worked on what remained of Vazquez’s property, which was fenced off from the street.
—Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
For many women, this includes strength training, which a trove of research has found can help prevent loss of protective bone and muscle mass that happens when hormones change.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 1 Apr. 2026
Radiation monitoring Once Orion leaves Earth's protective magnetic field, astronauts are exposed to higher levels of space radiation.
—Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
The Bose and Sony headphones come with fully protective travel cases that hold extras, like charging cables and adapters.
—Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026
Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Once Orion blazes through Earth's atmosphere, a protective heat shield will be cast off to make way for parachutes to deploy and slow the vehicle down.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Chow Chow-German shepherd mixes are often intelligent, loyal and protective, but can also inherit an independent streak that makes consistent training and early socialization especially important, an article from Hepper states.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
According to the complaint, the company initially reassured customers that firewall protections were not affected, delaying Marquis' ability to take protective action.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
On a recent morning, birds chirped and hopped from tree to tree under a clear blue morning sky as a man in a respirator and protective earmuffs worked on what remained of Vazquez’s property, which was fenced off from the street.
—Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
For many women, this includes strength training, which a trove of research has found can help prevent loss of protective bone and muscle mass that happens when hormones change.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 1 Apr. 2026
Radiation monitoring Once Orion leaves Earth's protective magnetic field, astronauts are exposed to higher levels of space radiation.
—Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
The Bose and Sony headphones come with fully protective travel cases that hold extras, like charging cables and adapters.
—Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protective
defensive
Adjective
-
The rule has been expanded that teams must interview two minority candidates for openings at head coach, general managers and the offensive and defensive coordinator jobs.—
Mac Engel
March 30,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Heat’s zone worked on several second-half possessions, but Miami still allowed too many open threes -- and had too many defensive breakdowns -- when the game was decided in the fourth quarter.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Protective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protective. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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