pre·ven·ta·tive
pri-ˈven-tə-tiv
: devoted to or concerned with preventing something from happening : preventive entry 1
The best preventative medicine that you can give to your plants is to mulch them.—Ann Whynman
Los Angeles County promised to revamp its system, gradually reducing the use of expensive inpatient hospitals through more preventative care at outpatient clinics.—Jonathan Cohn
plural preventatives
: something that serves to prevent something from occurring : preventive entry 2
We've got the live vaccinia virus vaccine as a preventative for smallpox …—D. A. Henderson et al.
Green onions are a mosquito preventative.—Garrison Keillor
Cite this Entry
“Preventative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preventative. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.
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