Preventative and Preventive

Preventative

Preventative adjective - Concerned with or serving to keep something from happening.
Usage example: the department in charge of taking preventative measures against international terrorism

Preventive is a synonym for preventative in prophylactic topic. In some cases you can use "Preventive" instead the word "Preventative" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like allow, safeguard, prevention. popular alternative

Preventive

Preventive adjective - Concerned with or serving to keep something from happening.
Usage example: if you start taking this preventive medicine now, you may not get sick after all

Preventative is a synonym for preventive in prophylactic topic. You can use "Preventative" instead the word "Preventive" as an adjective or a noun, if it concerns topics such as allow, prevention. popular alternative

Cite this Source
Preventive and Preventative. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/preventative/preventive
Preventative & Preventive. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/preventative/preventive>.
Preventive or Preventative. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/preventative/preventive.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "preventative" and "preventive" have occurred on timeline