
[Middle English preventen, to anticipate, from Latin praevenīre, praevent- : prae-, pre- + venīre, to come.]
preventability pre·vent'a·bil'i·ty or pre·vent'i·bil'i·ty n.SYNONYMS prevent, preclude, avert, obviate, forestall. These verbs mean to stop or hinder something from happening, especially by advance planning or action. Prevent implies anticipatory counteraction: "The surest way to prevent war is not to fear it" (John Randolph). To preclude is to exclude the possibility of an event or action: "a tranquillity which . . . his wife's presence would have precluded" (John Henry Newman). To avert is to ward off something about to happen: The pilot's quick thinking averted an accident. Obviate implies that something, such as a difficulty, has been anticipated and disposed of effectively: "the objections . . . having . . . been obviated in the preceding chapter" (Joseph Butler). Forestall usually suggests anticipatory measures taken to counteract, neutralize, or nullify the effects of something: We installed an alarm system to forestall break-ins.
| prevent, prevaricate, procrastinate, pretty | |
| preventive, preventative, priest, prima donna |
Definition: keep from happening or continuing
Antonyms: aid, allow, assist, cause, encourage, help, let go
Many diseases are preventable if vaccinations are available.
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To keep from happening or existing, especially by precautionary measures.
Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - forebygge, afværge
v. intr. - udgøre en hindring
Nederlands (Dutch)
voorkomen, verhinderen, vermijden
Français (French)
v. tr. - prévenir, éviter, faire obstacle à, empêcher
v. intr. - prévenir, empêcher, faire obstacle à
Deutsch (German)
v. - verhindern
Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - (παρ)εμποδίζω, παρακωλύω, αποσοβώ, αποτρέπω, προλαμβάνω
Italiano (Italian)
impedire, ostacolare, prevenire, evitare
Português (Portuguese)
v. - evitar, prevenir
Русский (Russian)
предупреждать, предотвращать, мешать
Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - prevenir, evitar, impedir
v. intr. - prevenir, evitar, impedir
Svenska (Swedish)
v. - (för)hindra, förebygga
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
防止, 预防, 制止, 阻止, 妨碍
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 防止, 預防, 制止, 阻止, 妨礙
v. intr. - 妨礙, 阻止
한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 막다, 방해하다
v. intr. - 방해를 하다
日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 妨げる, 防ぐ, 予防する
עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - הניא, עיכב, מנע, עצר
v. intr. - שם מכשול בפני
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