Precaution vs Preventative - What's the difference?
precaution | preventative |
Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent mischief or secure good; as, his life was saved by precaution.
* John Henry Newman
A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act.
(transitive): To warn or caution beforehand. --.
(rare): To take precaution against. --.
*1920, Lillien Jane Martin, Mental hygiene: two years' experience of a clinical psychologist , Warwick &York (1920), p. 78,
*:"That part of mental hygiene which has a prophylactic character falls into two classes, group preventative mental hygiene […]"
*1968, G. Anthony Wedge, N. A. P.: New American Party , Geddes Press Printers (1968), p. 155,
*:"Preventative defense comes in two flavors […]"
*2006, Robert Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson, Repairing & Upgrading Your PC , O'Reilly (2006), p. 70,
*:"The goals of preventative maintenance are to reduce the likelihood of hardware failures, […]"
preventive]
As nouns the difference between precaution and preventative
is that precaution is precaution while preventative is .As an adjective preventative is
.precaution
English
Noun
(en noun)- The ancient philosophers treasured up their supposed discoveries with miserable precaution .
- to take precautions against risks of accident