preventive
/pɹɪˈvɛntɪv/ adjective, noun
Forms preventives preventative
- adjective Preventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to.
- adjective Carried out to deter military aggression.
- adjective Slowing the development of an illness; prophylactic.
- adjective (obsolete) Going before; preceding.
- noun (dated) A thing that prevents, hinders, or acts as an obstacle to.
- noun (dated) A thing that slows the development of an illness. “A good preventive against heart disease is a healthy lifestyle.”
- noun A contraceptive, especially a condom.
Synonyms
prophylactic preventative hindrance hinderance hitch encumbrance incumbrance interference contraceptive contraceptive device prophylactic device birth control device
Antonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin praeventīvus. Equivalent to prevent + -ive.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Going before; preceding. [Obs.]
- adjective Tending to defeat or hinder; obviating; preventing the access of; as, a medicine preventive of disease.
- noun That which prevents, hinders, or obstructs; that which intercepts access; in medicine, something to prevent disease; a prophylactic.
Etymology [Cf. F. préventif.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “preventive”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details