as in preparatory
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
preparative warning that the injection was going to cause a modest amount of pain
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Recent Examples of preparative
Just weeks after announcing a plan (or at least the preparative study of a plan) to reconstruct Park Avenue in its premodern, superior form, the city has just revealed a major makeover for Fifth.
—
Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2024
One such approach involves utilizing advanced chromatography techniques like flash chromatography or preparative HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography).
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2023
Using photography as a preparative tool as well as an art form later in life reveals Degas to have been a more progressive artist that was willing to experiment.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2019
Gordon explains that the body has quite a bit of pre-labor preparative work to do.
—Tanya Ward Goodman, Orange County Register, 5 June 2017
Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2024
One such approach involves utilizing advanced chromatography techniques like flash chromatography or preparative HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography).
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2023
Using photography as a preparative tool as well as an art form later in life reveals Degas to have been a more progressive artist that was willing to experiment.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2019
Gordon explains that the body has quite a bit of pre-labor preparative work to do.
—Tanya Ward Goodman, Orange County Register, 5 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preparative
Adjective
-
Pacific Ridge School, an independent, co-ed, college preparatory day school in Carlsbad, started its 19th academic year with the Annual Trustee Dinner.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Those preparatory projects included the installation of new capping roofs to weatherproof the buildings for a long period of care and maintenance, as well as the rerouting of electrical supplies and de-planting of boiler equipment.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Federal judge Julia Kobick in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Administration from enforcing the policy against Orr and six other individual plaintiffs in April.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
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The feedback will be used to screen candidates to select for preliminary interviews in January.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Watch for promotions such as gift cards or introductory pricing for new customers.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The consumer’s journey includes a introductory questionnaire that covers sizes and style preferences as well as an ongoing dialogue with a human stylist.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preparative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preparative. Accessed 13 Dec. 2025.
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