protective
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Defensive of somebody or something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pruhtehktivSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
pɹəˈtɛktɪv
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Serving or intended to protect.
Wishing to protect; defensive of somebody or something.
noun
A condom.
british
Something that protects.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Word Aura is being prepared for this meaning.
More ways to use protective
- “A protective covering.”adjective
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Serving as a guardian.
Intended for defence.
Serving to prevent or protect against an undesired effect, especially disease or pregnancy.
Serving to restrict.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A person who cares for persons or property.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Coloration making an organism less visible or attractive to predators.
A covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury.
A covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury.
A steep artificial slope in front of a fortification.
A flap of tissue that protects what it covers.
Clothing that is intended to protect the wearer from injury.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “protective” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.