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Preventative vs Precautionary - What's the difference?

preventative | precautionary |

As adjectives the difference between preventative and precautionary

is that preventative is while precautionary is of, pertaining to, or serving as a precaution.

As nouns the difference between preventative and precautionary

is that preventative is while precautionary is (obsolete) a precaution.

preventative

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • *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, […]"

    • Noun

    (en noun)

    • Usage notes

    *Preventative'' is in all senses synonymous with ''preventive''. Many speakers prefer to use ''preventative'' in noun senses and ''preventive in adjective senses.[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/nonerrors.html
  • preventive]

    • precautionary

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of, pertaining to, or serving as a precaution
    • The article 3.3 of the states the precautionary principle .

    Noun

    (precautionaries)
  • (obsolete) A precaution.
  • * 1748 , Samuel Richardson, Clarissa
    • Thou seest, Belford, by the above precautionaries , that I forget nothing.