preventative

Preventative is an adjective describing actions, measures, or strategies designed to prevent a problem or reduce risk, rather than to treat it after it occurs. The term is a variant of preventive, and many dictionaries list preventive as the preferred form while acknowledging preventative as an accepted variant. In British English, preventive is typically standard; preventative is more common in North American usage, particularly in everyday language and in some technical contexts.

In practice, preventative methods appear across fields such as medicine, public health, safety, and maintenance. In healthcare, preventative care includes vaccination, screening, lifestyle counseling, and early detection programs aimed at maintaining health and avoiding disease. In public safety and environmental policy, preventative approaches reduce hazard exposure and avert emergencies. In engineering and facilities management, preventative or preventive maintenance involves scheduled inspections and replacements to prevent equipment failure.

Usage notes: while preventive is often the preferred form in formal writing and technical or scientific contexts, preventative is widely used in everyday speech and in many style guides acknowledge it as a legitimate variant. Common collocations include preventative maintenance, preventative care, and preventative measures, alongside the more formal preventive maintenance and preventive care.