pre·par·a·tive
pri-ˈper-ə-tiv 
pri-ˈpa-rə-tiv
: something that prepares the way for or serves as a preliminary to something else : preparation
Examples of preparative in a Sentence
Adjective
preparative warning that the injection was going to cause a modest amount of pain
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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Adjective
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
Cite this Entry
“Preparative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preparative. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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