prophylactic
6 synonyms for prophylactic, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A medicine taken to stop a disease from happening.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
preventative
Etymology
Comes from Latin prophylacticus, from Ancient Greek προφυλακτικός (prophulaktikós, “prophylactic”).
Full origin of prophylactic →