Definitions
- Describing measures taken to avoid or reduce the risk of something happening. - Talking about actions taken to prevent a disease or illness from occurring. - Referring to steps taken to avoid a negative outcome or consequence.
- Describing measures taken to stop something from happening or to keep something from getting worse. - Talking about actions taken to prevent the spread of a disease or illness. - Referring to steps taken to avoid a negative outcome or consequence.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words refer to actions taken to avoid negative outcomes.
- 2Both words can be used as adjectives or nouns.
- 3Both words are related to health and safety.
- 4Both words involve taking action to avoid problems.
What is the difference?
- 1Usage: Preventive is more commonly used than preventative in everyday language.
- 2Meaning: Preventive emphasizes stopping something from happening or getting worse, while preventative focuses on reducing the risk of something happening.
- 3Connotation: Preventive is often associated with medical or legal contexts, while preventative can be used more broadly.
Remember this!
Preventative and preventive are synonyms that refer to actions taken to avoid negative outcomes. However, preventive is more commonly used and emphasizes stopping something from happening or getting worse, while preventative focuses on reducing the risk of something happening. Additionally, preventive is the preferred spelling in American English and is often associated with medical or legal contexts.
