preventative

adjective
UK: /prɪˈventətɪv/
US: /prɪˈventətɪv/

  1. Intended to stop something bad from happening

    1. We should take preventative measures against the disease.
    2. The doctor recommended a preventative treatment to reduce the risk of future complications.

Synonyms

preventive prophylactic
preventative noun

  1. Something that stops something bad from happening

    1. Using sunscreen is a good preventative for sunburn.
    2. Early detection is often the best preventative against serious health problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "preventative" is /prɪˈventətɪv/ in British English and /prɪˈventətɪv/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "preventative": preventive, prophylactic.

Example usage of "preventative": "We should take preventative measures against the disease.". More examples on the page.