1
Core quality
Capable of being stopped or avoided before it happens.
Example
Most of the infections were preventable.
preventable
/prɪˈventəbəl/ · prih-VEN-tuh-buladjective
Capable of being stopped or avoided before it happens.
Use preventable to express this relationship precisely: capable of being stopped or avoided before it happens.
What preventable Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
The inquiry described the collapse as preventable.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Simple maintenance could have prevented the preventable damage.
Use preventable Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Most of the infections were preventable.
The inquiry described the collapse as preventable.
Simple maintenance could have prevented the preventable damage.
Precision Matters
Preventable overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
preventable
vs.Means capable of being stopped or avoided before it happens.
ineluctable
Means inescapable; inevitable.
preventable
vs.Means capable of being stopped or avoided before it happens.
catastrophic
Means involving sudden, large-scale damage or disastrous consequences.
preventable
vs.Means capable of being stopped or avoided before it happens.
persistent
Means continuing firmly or repeatedly over a long period despite difficulty, opposition, or attempts to stop it.
preventable
vs.Means capable of being stopped or avoided before it happens.
remiss
Means careless or failing to perform a duty, responsibility, or expected action.
Test preventable in Context
Timely action could have stopped the event from occurring.
1
Because inspectors had issued repeated warnings, the bridge failure was entirely ___.