Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

protective

/pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.13 in modern English

Syllables: pro-tec-tive
IPA: /pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/

17

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Serving or intended to protect.

adj

Wishing to protect; defensive of somebody or something.

noun

Something that protects.

British usage

noun

Example Sentences

"The fighter dropped into a protective stance."
"The castle's moat served a protective function."
"Pour a solvent such as paint thinner, mineral spirits, or a liquid sandpaper product in a metal can or enamel bowl. Wear protective gloves."
"Mother bears are famously protective of their cubs."

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin prōtēctīvus. By surface analysis, protect + -ive.

Word Breakdown

Root: prōtēctīvus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/
British English: /pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

more protective (comparative) most protective (superlative) protectives (plural)

Derived Forms

atheroprotective autoprotective axoprotective bioprotective bronchoprotective canceroprotective carcinoprotective cardioprotective carioprotective cerebroprotective chemoprotective cholangioprotective

Phrases

overcurrent protective device personal protective equipment protective briefs protective custody protective letter protective order protective pants protective reaction

Rhymes With

effective perspective objective collective detective respective selective prospective subjective directive ineffective reflective

Questions

How do you pronounce protective?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/.
What does protective mean?: Serving or intended to protect.
Where does protective come from?: Borrowed from Medieval Latin prōtēctīvus. By surface analysis, protect + -ive.

How to pronounce protective

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “protective”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “protective”.
Repeat and practice — Say “protective” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.