as in prevented
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
brushing regularly should obviate the need for frequent trips to the dentist
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Recent Examples of obviated
But a constant churn of financial maneuvers (spinning off Saks’ e-commerce, creating co-working spaces in underutilized stores, all while being highly leveraged) brought some benefit but never obviated the need to invest more in basics.
—
Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obviated
Verb
-
Firearm safety activists say the shootings could have been prevented by following Michigan's safe storage law.—
Heath Kalb,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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However, the contract included non-disparagement and binding arbitration clauses which would have prevented the siblings from going to the police with their allegations or suing the Jackson estate in open court.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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San Diego Unified School District recently averted a one-day strike after reaching a tentative agreement with its teachers.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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Today’s parents grew up in a world where vaccines averted preventable diseases, or at least lessened the toll of those illnesses if infection occurred.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Reflecting the global reach of American hegemony, as well as the way the bureaucratic style of Soviet espionage precluded such individual initiative, eighteen of these thirty operatives were Americans.—
Alfred McCoy,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
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The Heat schedule precluded more organizational presence, with the team hosting the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at Kaseya Center, where the court a year ago was named in Riley’s honor, and then returning for a practice there Monday ahead of a two-game trip.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obviated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obviated. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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