Preventive vs. Preventative
Preventive and preventative serve as an example of something that rarely happens in the English language. Sometimes words are spelled nearly the same, but have completely different meanings. Sometimes, words are spelled slightly differently, but they can be used interchangeably. Neither of these is the case with preventive and preventative. These two words are spelled nearly the same, and they can be used interchangeable, but one is preferred over the other. Let's take a look at their meanings, and discuss which you should use.
Preventive and preventative can function as adjectives or nouns. Both words have the same meanings. They can describe or refer to something that is designed to prevent illness, harm, or accidents. They are often used in a medical sense to refer to medical treatments or devices that are used to prevent illness.
1. Doctors are more and more interested in preventive/preventative medicine, as disease such as type II diabetes have no cure, but can sometimes be prevented.
2. Car seats serve as a preventive/preventative measure for child death by vehicular accident.
3. Swimming lessons early in life can be a preventative/preventive for death by drowning.
4. Exercise and a healthy diet are two preventives/preventatives that most people could afford.
While these two words can be used interchangeably, preventive is the one that is most often used. Preventative has gained in popularity in recent years, but preventive is still used much more often and is the most recognized form. So, to be safe-and conventional-preventive should be your word of choice!
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