Synonyms for deterrent
- noun
- adjective
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Preventive
preventive, hindrance, impediment, hinderance, check, balk US, baulk UK, handicap, hitch
Other
Adjective
Definitions
- n. 1
Something that deters.
- adj. 1
Serving to deter, preventing something from happening.
Forms
- Plural
- deterrents → preventives, hindrances, impediments, hinderances…
Example sentences
- preventive That's the most realistic preventive measure, I think.
- impediment Impatience is a definite impediment to success.
- hindrance Those new rules were more of a hindrance than a help.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| deterrent | falling | |
| preventive | falling | |
| impediment | steady | |
| hindrance | steady | |
| hinderance | falling | |
| deterrer | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- balk1
- 5 letters
- check1, hitch1, baulk
- 8 letters
- handicap3, deterrer
- 9 letters
- hindrance2
- 10 letters
- preventive3, forbidding3, impediment4, hinderance
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (handicap3 = 3 syllables).