preventative

English

Adjective

preventative (comparative more preventative, superlative most preventative)

  1. Alternative form of preventive
    • 1920, Lillien Jane Martin, Mental hygiene: two years' experience of a clinical psychologist, Warwick &York (1920), p. 78,
      "That part of mental hygiene which has a prophylactic character falls into two classes, group preventative mental hygiene […]"
    • 1968, G. Anthony Wedge, N. A. P.: New American Party, Geddes Press Printers (1968), p. 155,
      "Preventative defense comes in two flavors […]"
    • 2006, Robert Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson, Repairing & Upgrading Your PC, O'Reilly (2006), p. 70,
      "The goals of preventative maintenance are to reduce the likelihood of hardware failures, […]"

Noun

preventative (plural preventatives)

  1. Alternative form of preventive

Usage notes
  • Preventative is in all senses synonymous with preventive. Many speakers prefer to use preventative in noun senses and preventive in adjective senses.
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