preparative

Definition of preparativenext
as in preparatory
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows preparative warning that the injection was going to cause a modest amount of pain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of preparative Just weeks after announcing a plan (or at least the preparative study of a plan) to reconstruct Park Avenue in its premodern, superior form, the city has just revealed a major makeover for Fifth. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2024 One such approach involves utilizing advanced chromatography techniques like flash chromatography or preparative HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography). — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2023 Using photography as a preparative tool as well as an art form later in life reveals Degas to have been a more progressive artist that was willing to experiment. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2019 Gordon explains that the body has quite a bit of pre-labor preparative work to do. — Tanya Ward Goodman, Orange County Register, 5 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preparative
Adjective
  • Chinese, Russian troops train together The PLA contingent traveled to Russia by road, rail and air and participated in the preparatory phase alongside forces from Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Tajikistan.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Account managers have seen their preparatory work shrink—AI can assemble meeting notes, summarize calls, draft follow-ups and flag patterns across client communication.
    — Victor Karpenko, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Heading into this week, investors will be watching for minutes from the Fed's September meeting on Wednesday and the University of Michigan's preliminary October consumer sentiment reading, due Friday.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The decision on whether to enable Northwestern’s plans came down to Evanston’s City Council, which in October 2023 tied at a preliminary vote.
    — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Could younger athletes attend an introductory session before formal evaluation?
    — Irma Davarashvili, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • But still, this felt different — as Gray himself noted in his moving introductory remarks, reflecting on growing up a few miles away from the Upper West Side.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preparative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preparative. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!