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Contraceptive vs Prophylactic - What's the difference?

contraceptive | prophylactic |

As adjectives the difference between contraceptive and prophylactic

is that contraceptive is that acts to prevent conception as a result of sexual intercourse while prophylactic is serving to prevent or protect against an undesired effect, especially disease.

As nouns the difference between contraceptive and prophylactic

is that contraceptive is a mechanism or means by which conception as a result of sexual intercourse can be prevented or made less likely while prophylactic is a medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.

contraceptive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • That acts to prevent conception as a result of sexual intercourse.
    • She was careful to take her contraceptive pill at the same time every day.
  • * 1994 , P. F. A. Van Look, Gregorio Pérez-Palacios, World Health Organization, Contraceptive Research and Development, 1984-1994: The Road from Mexico City to Cairo and Beyond ,
    • This has led to the selection of 4-guanidinobenzoates with either acetamenophen or ethylparaben as the phenol moiety for clinical evaluation, because they are orders of magnitude more contraceptive than nonoxynol-9 and less irritating to the vagina.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mechanism or means by which conception as a result of sexual intercourse can be prevented or made less likely.
    • Putting a pig's bladder over one's penis during intercourse is not a good '''contraceptive.
  • * 2004', , ''Selected Practice Recommendations for '''Contraceptive Use (Second edition),
    • The document covers the following family planning methods: combined oral contraceptives' (COCs), combined injectable ' contraceptives (CICs), progestogen-only pills (POPs), depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), norethisterone enantate (NET-EN), levonorgestrel implants, emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), copper-bearing interuterine devices, levonorgestrel-releasing interuterine devices (LNG IUDs), fertility awareness-based methods, and sterilization.

    prophylactic

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
  • (US) Specifically , a prophylactic condom.
  • * 1977, Human Life Center, International Review of Natural Family Planning , Human Life Center, St. John's University (1977), p. 2,
    • It is not clear whether such education is to be directed to homosexuals (for whom prophylactics' are not a contraceptive) or to heterosexuals as well (for whom ' prophylactics are a contraceptive).
  • * 1994, Mary Louise Roberts, Civilization Without Sexes: reconstructing gender in postwar France, 1917-1927 , University of Chicago Press (1994), p. 96,
    • Given the widespread use of coitus interruptus and male prophylactics as contraceptive practices in France […]
  • * 2000, Peter Parnell and John Irving, The Cider House Rules: Here in St. Cloud's , Dramatists Play Service, Inc. (2000), p. 46,
    • Some men put the prophylactic on just the tip of the penis: this is a mistake, because the prophylactic will come off.
  • (figuratively) Any device or mechanism intended to prevent harmful consequences.
  • * The securities laws are a prophylactic against stock fraud.

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Serving to prevent or protect against an undesired effect, especially disease.

    • Related terms

    * prophylaxis

    Derived terms

    * prophylactically