Skip to main content
contraindicative

contraindicative

1 9.5
Not safe to use for people with certain health problems because it may cause harm
  • adjective
  • /ˌkɒntrəˈɪndɪkətɪv/
  • Specialized
: contraindicado
  • Recognizing symptoms that are contraindicative helps healthcare professionals make better decisions about patient care.

Examples

  • The new study showed that certain medications can be contraindicative for patients with specific allergies.

  • The 47-item scale (26 indicative, 21 contraindicative items) was given to a pilot group of 192 university students in the Faculty of Education and Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Middle East Technical University in Ankara.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Some edges are classified as contraindicative; for these edges, A provides an independent reason to believe that B is false with probability x.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The doctor advised against the treatment because it was clearly contraindicative based on the patient's history.

Surface Forms

contraindicative positive

Morphology

contraindicative = contraindicate (semi-transparent) = contra + indicate + ive

Built from the verb 'contraindicate' + the adjectival suffix '-ive'; the meaning 'indicating that something should not be used' is compositionally clear but is a technical medical usage that may be unfamiliar to general learners.

Etymology

Contraindicative comes from the prefix contra- meaning 'against' and the verb indicate meaning 'to show'. So, contraindicative literally 'shows against' something and is used when evidence says a treatment or action 'should not be used'.