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
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
The report notes, though, that only women with a high risk of preeclampsia should use prophylactic low aspirin to prevent early pregancy loss, fetal growth restriction, stillbirth or early delivery.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prophylactic
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
The report notes, though, that only women with a high risk of preeclampsia should use prophylactic low aspirin to prevent early pregancy loss, fetal growth restriction, stillbirth or early delivery.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prophylactic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prophylactic
Adjective
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Parents should be aware of these risks and take preventive actions accordingly.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
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For example, preventive care is one of the highest-leverage moves an owner can make.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The book, the first in a series, is an extension of MindUP, Hawn's preventative mental health program that's been utilized in schools for 20-plus years to teach kids about the human brain and how to regulate emotions.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
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While aiming to ensure that the brand is growing with the right franchisees, Castle Rock Hormone Health is continuing to build its presence at the intersection of personalized medicine, preventative care, and scalable healthcare delivery.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prophylactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prophylactic. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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