Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of intervening: The action of becoming involved in a situation to alter its course or prevent an undesirable outcome.
   • Interference or mediation: Involvement in a dispute or process to mediate, resolve, or influence it.
   • A policy or action of involvement: Specifically, the policy of a state interfering in the affairs of another.
   • A medical procedure: Care or a procedure intended to improve a health condition or relieve illness or injury.
   • A legal procedure: A proceeding that allows a person not originally a party to a lawsuit to join it to protect an affected interest.

Usage and Examples

• General Act of Intervening:

  • The teacher's early intervention prevented a fight between the students.
  • The situation required immediate intervention from the authorities.

• Medical Context:

  • Surgical intervention was necessary to save the patient's life.
  • The program focuses on early intervention for childhood developmental issues.

• Political/Foreign Affairs Context:

  • The country was criticized for its military intervention in the region.
  • They advocate for a policy of non-intervention in other nations' internal conflicts.

• Legal Context:

  • The court granted the third party's motion for intervention in the case.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "Human intervention": Direct involvement by people, often contrasted with automatic processes.
  • The system is fully automated and requires no human intervention.
• "Crisis intervention": Immediate, short-term help provided to someone in acute distress.
  • The hotline offers crisis intervention for individuals experiencing severe emotional distress.
• "To stage an intervention": A planned confrontation by loved ones to persuade someone to seek help for a problem like addiction.
  • His family staged an intervention to convince him to enter rehab.

Variants and Related Words

• Intervene (verb): To come between or become involved.
  • The government refused to intervene in the labor dispute.
• Interventional (adjective): Relating to or involving intervention, especially in medicine.
  • She specializes in interventional cardiology.
• Nonintervention (noun): The principle or practice of not interfering in others' affairs.
  • The senator is a proponent of nonintervention.

Synonyms

• Interference: (Often has a more negative connotation of unwanted involvement.)
• Mediation: (Specifically neutral involvement to resolve a dispute.)
• Involvement: (A more general term for taking part.)
• Intercession: (The action of intervening on behalf of another.)

Antonyms

• Noninterference
• Nonintervention
• Neglect (in contexts where action is needed)

Common Collocations and Phrases

• Government/state/military intervention
• Medical/surgical intervention
• Early intervention
• Divine intervention (the involvement of a god in human affairs, often used idiomatically for an unexpected, miraculous event)
  • It was a lucky break—it must have been divine intervention.
• To call for/demand intervention
• To justify intervention

Noun

1. care provided to improve a situation (especially medical procedures or applications that are intended to relieve illness or injury)
2. (law) a proceeding that permits a person to enter into a lawsuit already in progress; admission of person not an original party to the suit so that person can protect some right or interest that is allegedly affected by the proceedings
   • the purpose of intervention is to prevent unnecessary duplication of lawsuits
3. the act or fact of interposing one thing between or among others
4. a policy of intervening in the affairs of other countries
5. the act of intervening (as to mediate a dispute, etc.)
   • it occurs without human intervention