as in preventive
concerned with or serving to keep something from happening
the many prophylactic measures that city officials could have taken to reduce the scope of the disaster
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Recent Examples of prophylactic
When a friend mentioned his brother died not from multiple myeloma but from an infection during treatment, Brown asked the AI about defensive measures and learned about prophylactic antibodies through monthly infusions.
—
Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Or that players need to change their approach to off-season training to account for the quick lateral movements that can lead to acute injuries, or that team trainers need to be more prophylactic and smarter about understanding the way the body compensates for instabilities.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
These include prophylactic vaccines, which prevent cancer, and therapeutic ones, which protect women who have already had breast cancer from getting it again.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2025
Two injections of lenacapavir every six months offer near-perfect protection; older prophylactic treatments require daily pills, a challenge in countries with weak health systems.
—Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prophylactic
Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Or that players need to change their approach to off-season training to account for the quick lateral movements that can lead to acute injuries, or that team trainers need to be more prophylactic and smarter about understanding the way the body compensates for instabilities.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
These include prophylactic vaccines, which prevent cancer, and therapeutic ones, which protect women who have already had breast cancer from getting it again.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2025
Two injections of lenacapavir every six months offer near-perfect protection; older prophylactic treatments require daily pills, a challenge in countries with weak health systems.
—Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prophylactic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prophylactic
Adjective
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Such damage to the task force threatens to imperil access to lifesaving preventive services for millions of Americans.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2026
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The wellness industry has positioned itself as preventive and holistic, which makes its claims harder to evaluate than traditional medicine.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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Key focus areas are preventative care and checks-ups, sports medicine and optimization, aesthetic medicine, and sleep quality, backed up by a hospital’s worth of biohacking and high-tech touchless treatments as well as holistic therapies.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 May 2026
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The great opportunities today include preventative diagnostics, such as tools like Oura Rings.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prophylactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prophylactic. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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