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Preventive vs Preventively - What's the difference?

preventive | preventively |

As an adjective preventive

is .

As an adverb preventively is

in a preventive way.

preventive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Preventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to.
  • Carried out to deter military aggression.
  • Slowing the development of an illness; prophylactic.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • Physic is either curative or preventive .
  • (obsolete) Going before; preceding.
  • * Cudworth
    • Any previous counsel or preventive understanding.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (dated) A thing that prevents, hinders, or acts as an obstacle to.
  • * 1856 , Henry William Herbert, The Complete Manual for Young Sportsmen
    • Dogs should be warmly but airily housed; heartily, but not heatingly, fed — old Indian meal, mixed with oatmeal, suppawn, is the best general food, with a small quantity of salt, which is a preventive against worms
  • (nonstandard) A thing that slows the development of an illness.
  • A contraceptive, especially a condom.

    • Alternative forms

    * preventative

    Usage notes

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

    preventively

    English

    Adverb

    (-)
  • In a preventive way
  • * {{quote-news, year=2009, date=February 8, author=, title=Biden says U.S. ready to talk but remains prepared to act, work=Toronto Star citation
    • , passage=On Iran, Biden said Washington will strive to act preventively and avoid having to choose between the risks of war and the dangers of inaction. }}