preemptive
/pɹiːˈɛmp.tɪv/adjective
preemptive is spelled P-R-E-E-M-P-T-I-V-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, preemptive means “Made so as to deter an anticipated unpleasant situation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in preemptive?
| Letters | 10: P-R-E-E-M-P-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is preemptive?
Preemptive appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce preemptive?
- /pɹiːˈɛmp.tɪv/
Preemptive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-preemptive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of preemptive
- more preemptive comparative
- most preemptive superlative
- preëmptive
- pre-emptive
- more preëmptive comparative
- most preëmptive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does preemptive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Made so as to deter an anticipated unpleasant situation.
a preemptive attack on the enemy
- 2
Intended to interfere with an opponent's bidding.
adjective
- 1
rareRare spelling of preemptive.
The object of this company in taking their conveyance from the Indians in the form of a lease was to evade the preëmptive right.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Preemptive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | préemptif , préventif |
| Portuguese | preventivo |
| Spanish | preemptivo , cautelar |
| German | vorbeugend |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does preemptive come from?
From preempt + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).