preventive
preventive — adjective
1. done or put in place ahead of time to make sure that an unwanted situation, illn
done or put in place ahead of time to make sure that an unwanted situation, illness, or problem does not happen or get worse.
The city installed speed bumps as a preventive measure on streets near the school.
collocation: preventive measure
Ryo goes for regular dental check-ups as a form of preventive health care.
collocation: preventive health care
Brandon's doctor prescribed a preventive treatment to lower his risk of serious infection.
Preventive maintenance on aircraft engines helps airlines avoid costly mechanical failures.
Minh's employer set up a preventive health program that includes monthly check-ups for all staff.
- precautionary
focuses on actions taken to avoid a specific danger or risk, especially in safety contexts
- prophylactic
very formal and primarily medical; used for treatments or drugs that prevent disease
- preemptive
strikes first to stop an enemy or competitor, rather than preventing a general problem
- reactive
responding to problems after they have already happened, rather than stopping them beforehand
- corrective
fixing something that has already gone wrong, not preventing it
文法句型
preventive + noun (measure / care / maintenance / treatment)
be + preventive
用法筆記
Commonly appears before nouns such as 'measure', 'care', 'maintenance', 'treatment', 'action'. The alternative spelling 'preventative' is also widely used and means the same thing, though 'preventive' is more frequent in formal and medical English.
常見錯誤
preventive — noun
1. a product, medicine, or action that helps stop something unwanted — such as illn
a product, medicine, or action that helps stop something unwanted — such as illness, damage, or crime — from happening.
A good sunscreen is an effective preventive against skin damage from the sun.
pattern: a preventive against + noun
The government distributed vitamin A supplements as a preventive against blindness for children in the village.
pattern: a preventive against + noun (specifying what it prevents)
Zuri takes vitamin C as a winter preventive for colds and common infections.
Installing a smoke alarm is a cheap preventive against fire-related deaths in the home.
- preventative
the longer alternative spelling; identical in meaning and usage
- prophylactic
formal medical term for a treatment or device that prevents disease
文法句型
a + preventive + against + noun
act as + a + preventive
use + [something] + as + a + preventive
用法筆記
A countable noun — you can say 'a preventive' or 'preventives' (plural). The adjective form is far more common in everyday English; the noun is used mostly in medical, technical, or formal writing.