Antonyms for protective

Grammar : Adj

Spell : pruh-tek-tiv

Phonetic Transcription : prəˈtɛk tɪv

Definition of protective

Origin : 1660s, from protect + -ive. As a noun from 1875. Related: Protectively; protectiveness. Protective custody is from 1933, translating German Schutzhaft, used cynically by the Nazis.

adj guarding, securing

Example sentences :

Why, the order of nature is reversed, and these children take on the protective.
Extract from : « Ester Ried Yet Speaking » by Isabella Alden

There was protective tenderness in the gesture and the touch.
Extract from : « Quaint Courtships » by Various

But to the cub the spectacle of her protective rage was pleasing.
Extract from : « White Fang » by Jack London

He had been moved, he supposed now, by a protective sentiment.
Extract from : « A Spirit in Prison » by Robert Hichens

Among birds, the ptarmigan is a fine example of protective colouring.
Extract from : « Little Masterpieces of Science: » by Various

Already we are becoming a militarist and a protective State, but we do not yet know it.
Extract from : « England and Germany » by Emile Joseph Dillon

He picked up the black box that generated his protective screen.
Extract from : « Mutineer » by Robert J. Shea

The tariff bill presented in 1824 was avowedly a protective measure.
Extract from : « Union and Democracy » by Allen Johnson

There was a protective manliness in the manner of these men that reassured me.
Extract from : « The Trail of '98 » by Robert W. Service

He was energetic, if he was fat, and he had put a protective arm about Zara.
Extract from : « A Campfire Girl's First Council Fire » by Jane L. Stewart

Synonyms for protective

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019