prophylactic
4
7.5
- adjective
- /ˌprɒfɪˈlæktɪk/
- Specialized
:
profiláctico
- Clinical trials have demonstrated a prophylactic role for aspirin in myocardial infarction and in unstable angina pectoris.
- prophylactic antibiotics
- prophylactic mastectomy
- undergo prophylactic mastectomy
I'm going to guess that being married is prophylactic against this period of lower mood.
- I'm going to guess that being married is prophylactic against this period of lower mood.
- But but one thing that that one can consider is a prophylactic therapy.
- And we would like to use a term to help pilots understand this, and it's called prophylactic napping.
Examples
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Regardless, women undergoing mastectomy for prophylactic or therapeutic reasons should be given access to a reconstruction consultation.
Academic text (2015) -
The doctor recommended a prophylactic approach to minimize the risk of infection before the surgery.
-
I'm going to guess that being married is prophylactic against this period of lower mood.
-
Whether for therapeutic or prophylactic reasons, the side effects of mastectomy can be significant for women.
Academic text (2015) -
The usefulness of prophylactic antibiotics has not been assessed and would be worthy of study.
Academic text (2003) -
Clients should be assessed for infection prior to insertion and may be given prophylactic antibiotics for chlamydia.
Academic text (2011) -
Intravenous prophylactic antibiotics were administered to all patients at the time of anesthesia induction.
Academic text (2015) -
Overall, the rate of infection for patients who received preoperative prophylactic antibiotics was 10% versus 31% in those untreated.
Academic text (2015) -
Before starting the surgery, a first-generation cephalosporin was administered as a prophylactic antibiotic.
Academic text (2012) -
Using a prophylactic vaccine can help to protect against serious illnesses like the flu.
Synonyms
163
2.4
Made to keep a person or thing safe from harm
57
3.8
Intended to stop problems before they start
26
4.1
Made to stop bad things like disease or harm
22
5.0
Done to stop possible harm before it happens
Used to prevent infection by giving a chemical drug before exposure
Preventing the spread of contagious disease
Done in advance to prevent harm
Keeping people and things safe from harm
Antonyms
Compounds
- NSFW
1
6.4
Something people use to prevent pregnancy, like a condom or diaphragm
How Preventive
Surface Forms
Morphology
prophylactic = prophylaxis (semi-transparent) = prophylaxis + ic
Formed from the noun 'prophylaxis' with the standard adjective-forming suffix '-ic'; the derivation is regular but the root is specialised and less familiar to learners.
Etymology
Prophylactic comes from Greek words pro- 'before' and phylax 'guard'. Calling something 'prophylactic' means it is meant to protect you by acting before harm happens.