Preventive Meaning
/pɹɪˈvɛntɪv/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjPreventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to.
adjCarried out to deter military aggression.
Sentence Examples
Preventive measures are much more effective than the actual treatment.
Most insurance companies refuse to pay for preventive medicine.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
Regular exercise and a healthy diet are important ____ measures against chronic diseases.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The dentist recommended a ____ treatment to protect the teeth from decay before any damage occurred.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from New Latin praeventīvus. Equivalent to prevent + -ive.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"...and I sometimes think whether, like the ancient king, it would not be prudent to make an offering to destiny, and throw my set of emeralds into the lake." Emily could not but deprecate the emeralds being destined to any such preventive service;..."
— 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter X, in Romance and Reality. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 146:
"Physick is either curative or preventive."
— 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC:
"Any previous counsel or preventive understanding."
— 1678, Ralph Cudworth, The True Intellectual System of the Universe:
"Dogs should be warmly but airily housed; heartily, but not heatingly, fed — old Indian meal, mixed with oatmeal, suppawn, is the best general food, with a small quantity of salt, which is a preventive against worms […]"
— 1856, Henry William Herbert, The Complete Manual for Young Sportsmen:
"Eaten with sugar yaourt is very palatable and refreshing in warm weather and is said to be a preventive of fever."
— 1885, Cyprus guide and directory, page 82:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Regular exercise and a healthy diet are important ____ measures against chronic diseases.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The dentist recommended a ____ treatment to protect the teeth from decay before any damage occurred.