II. pre‧vent‧ive /prɪˈventɪv/ (
also preventative)
adjective [only before noun] [
Word Family: adjective:
preventable,
PREVENTIVE/PREVENTATIVE;
verb:
prevent;
noun:
prevention;
adverb:
PREVENTIVELY/PREVENTATIVELY]
intended to stop something you do not want to happen, such as illness, from happening:
preventive health programspreventive action/measure While travelling abroad, take preventive measures to avoid illness.—preventively adverb [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲