PREPARATIVE Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

preparative

adjective

Definition of preparative

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

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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

The drawing may have been made as a preparatory study to show a prospective patron before Canaletto completed a related painting.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Canaletto expert Charles Beddington authenticated the drawing, which was likely a preparatory sketch for a painting last sold in 1995 for $354,000 (about $766,000 in today’s dollars).

— News Desk, Artforum, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of preparatory

Adjective

Attendees asked engineers to provide preliminary cost estimates for street lighting running from the stadium connection north to Swepco Road.

— Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
In a statement, police said the preliminary investigation indicates that a fight broke out prior to the shooting.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of preliminary

Adjective

The basic model of competitive markets which one finds in an introductory economics textbook—where independent firms engage in cold arm’s-length transactions motivated by unadulterated self-interest—does not apply to the industry.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
JetBlue is offering some introductory fares for BlueFirst seats for select flights, including a $299 flight from Boston to Fort Lauderdale, a $249 option from New York to Fort Lauderdale and a $299 option from New York to Liberia, Costa Rica.

— Maggie Roth, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of introductory

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preparations

preparative

preparatory

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“Preparative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preparative. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of preparative

adjective

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