protective
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
protective
- /pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/ UK
- /pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/ Canada, US
- /pɹoʊˈtɛk.tɪv/ Canada, US
- /pɹəˈtek.tɪv/ Australia
Rhymes with -ɛktɪv
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Medieval Latin prōtēctīvus. By surface analysis, protect + -ive.
adjective more protective · most protective
- Serving or intended to protect. The fighter dropped into a protective stance.
- Wishing to protect; defensive of somebody or something. Mother bears are famously protective of their cubs.
noun protectives
- Something that protects.
- A condom.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: defensive, guardian, conserving, preserving, custodial, restrictive, tutelary, tutelar, preventive, careful, evasive, cautionary, caring, tender, overprotective, covering
Translations
Every language
adj serving, intended or wishing to protect
| Español | protector |
|---|---|
| Português | protetor, protetivo |
| Français | protecteur |
| Deutsch | Schutz- |
| Italiano | protettivo |
| Русский | защи́тный zaščítnyj, охра́нный oxránnyj |
| עברית | הגנתי haganatí, מגן magén |
noun A condom
| Português | preservativo |
|---|
Talk about this word "protective." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/protective. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. protective. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/protective "protective." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/protective.Cite this
@misc{protective_2026,
title = {protective},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/protective},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
