PREVENTION Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

prevention

noun

pri-ˈven(t)-shən

Definition of prevention

as in avoidance

the act or practice of keeping something from happening good crowd control is crucial to the prevention of riots

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of prevention Panelists will talk about anxiety and depression, academic and social pressures, communication between teenagers and adults, warning signs, suicide prevention and the resources available to families. — Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026 Think hospitals adapting to less demand for weight-loss operations and emphasizing prevention over expensive heart procedures and operations. — Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 Environmental health expert Bob Custard spent four decades working with local governments on things like clean water, rabies prevention and food safety. — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026 Labs appear comparatively better at detection—recording and reviewing some internal AI activity—than at prevention and containment. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prevention

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevention

Noun

Ten vessels were identified as allegedly providing logistical cover, detection avoidance and, in one case, direct cocaine transport as part of the scheme.

— Richard Escobedo, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Madelyn also has pathological demand avoidance, like Jack Davis, and sensory processing disorder, a neurological condition.

— Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of avoidance

Noun

Blind to Russia’s own staged electoral process, the Kremlin has repeatedly pushed the idea that the martial law prohibition on Ukrainian elections in wartime means Zelensky is illegitimate.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
DeSantis has signed strict legislation into law on the issue, including a prohibition on data centers passing on costs to ratepayers and new authority for local communities to reject data centers from being built.

— Garrett Downs, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of prohibition

Browse Nearby Words

preventing

prevention

preventive

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Prevention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevention. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of prevention

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on prevention

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

expeditious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes