| / English Dictionary |
PREVENTIVE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An agent or device intended to prevent conception
Synonyms:
birth control device; contraceptive; contraceptive device; preventative; preventive; prophylactic device
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("preventive" is a kind of...):
device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "preventive"):
cervical cap (a contraceptive device consisting of a small thimble-shaped cup that is placed over the uterine cervix to prevent the entrance of spermatozoa)
coil (a contraceptive device placed inside a woman's womb)
condom; prophylactic; rubber; safe; safety (contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse)
contraceptive diaphragm; diaphragm; pessary (a contraceptive device consisting of a flexible dome-shaped cup made of rubber or plastic; it is filled with spermicide and fitted over the uterine cervix)
intrauterine device; IUD (contraceptive device consisting of a piece of bent plastic or metal that is inserted through the vagina into the uterus)
morning-after pill (a large dose of estrogen taken orally within 24 to 72 hours after intercourse; prevents implantation of a fertilized ovum and so acts as a contraceptive; commonly used after rape or incest)
anovulant; anovulatory drug; birth control pill; contraceptive pill; oral contraceptive; oral contraceptive pill; pill (a contraceptive in the form of a pill containing estrogen and progestin to inhibit ovulation and so prevent conception)
spermatocide; spermicide (a contraceptive agent that kills spermatozoa)
Derivation:
preventive (tending to prevent or hinder)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome
Synonyms:
encumbrance; hinderance; hindrance; hitch; incumbrance; interference; preventative; preventive
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("preventive" is a kind of...):
impediment; impedimenta; obstructer; obstruction; obstructor (any structure that makes progress difficult)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "preventive"):
clog (any object that acts as a hindrance or obstruction)
speed bump (a hindrance to speeding created by a crosswise ridge in the surface of a roadway)
Derivation:
preventive (tending to prevent or hinder)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or disease
Example:
the doctor recommended several preventatives
Synonyms:
preventative; preventive; prophylactic
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("preventive" is a kind of...):
curative; cure; remedy; therapeutic (a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain)
Derivation:
preventive (preventing or contributing to the prevention of disease)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Preventing or contributing to the prevention of disease
Example:
a prophylactic drug
Synonyms:
preventative; preventive; prophylactic
Classified under:
Similar:
healthful (conducive to good health of body or mind)
Derivation:
preventive (remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or disease)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Tending to prevent or hinder
Synonyms:
preventative; preventive
Classified under:
Similar:
blockading (blocking entrance to and exit from seaports and harbors)
clogging; hindering; impeding; obstructive (preventing movement)
deterrent (tending to deter)
frustrating; frustrative; thwarting (preventing realization or attainment of a desire)
precautional; precautionary (taken in advance to protect against possible danger or failure)
obviating; preclusive (made impossible)
pre-emptive; preemptive (designed or having the power to deter or prevent an anticipated situation or occurrence)
prohibitive; prohibitory (tending to discourage (especially of prices))
Also:
protective (intended or adapted to afford protection of some kind)
Antonym:
permissive (not preventive)
Derivation:
prevent (stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state)
prevent (keep from happening or arising; make impossible)
preventive (an agent or device intended to prevent conception)
preventive (any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome)
Context examples:
Any therapeutic or preventive precedure that involves inhibition of the production or activity of a cytokine, and results in the inhibition of the mature function of immune cells.
(Cytokine Suppression, NCI Thesaurus)
A fourth control group received the current standard of care, with no preventive drugs.
(Drug Prevents Malaria in High-Risk Region, NIH)
More research in people is needed to determine what preventive measures might effectively delay CKD and maintain kidney function in AKI patients.
(Acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease each a risk of the other, NIH)
They also will compare immunization with purified capsule polysaccharide as a preventive approach (active immunization) versus using capsule-specific antibodies as a therapy (passive immunization).
(Scientists describe potential antibody approach for treating multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, National Institutes of Health)
This is a general term that encompasses the medical, social, behavioral, and environmental acts that can have preventive, therapeutic, or palliative effects.
(Appropriate Treatment, NCI Thesaurus/ACC)
These new insights into pathogenesis are, in turn, stimulating new preventive strategies against disease such as the development of new vaccines against a variety of pathogens.
(New Approaches to Pathogenesis, NCI Thesaurus)
Issue associated with inadequate periodic preventive maintenance or performance assurance checks.
(Inadequate Medical Device Service, Food and Drug Administration)
Issue associated with the lack of periodic preventive maintenance or performance assurance checks.
(Medical Device Service Failure, Food and Drug Administration)
Issue associated with user facility not receiving adequate service documentation, guidelines, or recommendations to perform preventive and corrective maintenance and performance assurance checks.
(Lack of Maintenance Documentation or Guidelines, Food and Drug Administration)
A person trained and qualified to provide comprehensive diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic medical care and services to patients under the guidance of the physician.
(Physician assistant, NCI Thesaurus)
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