preventive
A thing that prevents, hinders, or acts as an obstacle toA thing that prevents, hinders, or acts as an obstacle to.
» Using a condom is preventive medicine.
rul · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
3 senses(dated)A thing that prevents, hinders, or acts as an obstacle to.
(dated)A thing that slows the development of an illness.
A good preventive against heart disease is a healthy lifestyle.
remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or disease
A contraceptive, especially a condom.
Examples
8 sentencesUsing a condom is preventive medicine.
That's the most realistic preventive measure, I think.
Most insurance companies refuse to pay for preventive medicine.
Health outcomes often depend on preventive measures and care.
A preventive war, to my mind, is an impossibility today.
Origin
Borrowed from New Latin praeventīvus. Equivalent to prevent + -ive.Borrowed from New Latin praeventīvus. Equivalent to prevent + -ive.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: preventivesSynonyms
12 synonyms- remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or disease:preventativeprophylactic
- an agent or device intended to prevent conception:contraceptivepreventativecontraceptive deviceprophylactic devicebirth control device
- any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome:hindrancehinderancehitchpreventativeencumbranceincumbranceinterference