Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Intended to prevent something undesirable from happening: Describes actions, measures, or substances designed to stop a problem, illness, or unwanted event before it occurs.
   • Hindering or obstructing: Tending to act as a barrier or impediment.

2. Noun:

   • A measure or agent used to prevent something: Something employed to stop a particular issue, such as disease or conception, from arising.
   • An obstacle or hindrance: Something that blocks or burdens progress.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Regular exercise is a preventative measure against heart disease.
  • The government took preventative action to avoid an economic crisis.

• Noun:

  • Vaccines are important preventatives for many infectious diseases.
  • The new security protocol was a necessary preventative against data breaches.

Advanced Usage

• "Preventative maintenance": Routine checks and repairs designed to prevent equipment failure.

  • The airline's strict schedule of preventative maintenance ensures passenger safety.

• In a legal/administrative context: Referring to measures taken to avoid legal issues or violations.

  • The company implemented preventative controls to ensure compliance with regulations.

Variants and Related Words

• Preventive (adj/n): An alternative, and often more common, spelling with identical meaning.
  • Preventive care is a key part of the health plan.
• Prevention (n): The act of preventing something.
  • Crime prevention is a community effort.
• Preventable (adj): Describing something that can be stopped from happening.
  • Many childhood diseases are preventable.

Synonyms

• Prophylactic (adj/n): Specifically used in medical contexts for something that prevents disease.
• Precautionary (adj): Involving action taken to avoid danger or problems.
• Deterrent (n): Something that discourages or prevents an action.

Related Phrases

• Take preventative steps/measures: To act in order to avoid a future problem.
  • We should take preventative measures before the storm hits.

Related Idioms

• "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure": This proverb emphasizes that it is easier and better to stop something bad from happening than to fix it afterward. The concept is central to the idea of being preventative.
  • Installing a smoke detector is a classic case of an ounce of prevention.

Adjective

1. preventing or contributing to the prevention of disease
   • preventive medicine
   • vaccines are prophylactic
   • a prophylactic drug
2. tending to prevent or hinder

Noun

1. an agent or device intended to prevent conception
2. any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome
3. remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or disease
   • the doctor recommended several preventatives