as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the homeowner put up a fence around his garden as a deterrent for animals
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in preventive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deterrent
Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
The First Circuit agreed with the lower court, holding that FBAR penalties — acknowledged to be partly deterrent in nature — are not subject to the constitutional protection against excessive fines.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
Vale responded by arguing that Trump's frauds impacted consumers by inserting false and misleading information into the marketplace, and that Trump's fine has a deterrent effect.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024
By Yian Lee / Bloomberg September 20, 2024 4:10 AM EDT
Taiwan’s Constitutional Court upheld the legality of the death penalty but moved to limit its use, in a decision that strikes a balance between keeping the punishment’s deterrent effect and preventing its abuse.
—Yian Lee / Bloomberg, TIME, 20 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for deterrent
Adjective
The deterrent effect of these policies has proved difficult to measure and appears to have been quite limited.
—Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
The First Circuit agreed with the lower court, holding that FBAR penalties — acknowledged to be partly deterrent in nature — are not subject to the constitutional protection against excessive fines.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
Vale responded by arguing that Trump's frauds impacted consumers by inserting false and misleading information into the marketplace, and that Trump's fine has a deterrent effect.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024
By Yian Lee / Bloomberg September 20, 2024 4:10 AM EDT
Taiwan’s Constitutional Court upheld the legality of the death penalty but moved to limit its use, in a decision that strikes a balance between keeping the punishment’s deterrent effect and preventing its abuse.
—Yian Lee / Bloomberg, TIME, 20 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for deterrent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deterrent
Noun
-
Existing Challenges While the impact of these types of fintechs is already significant, their work is not without its own set of obstacles, and several ongoing challenges remain.—
Murtaza Ali,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Raise the stakes, place insuperable obstacles before the protagonist, have the protagonist somehow surmount them while becoming braver and better.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
Americans of all ages are increasingly turning to social media for health information — and skipping preventive care, according to a new Healthline/YouGov survey.—
John Samuels,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Among the preventive services recommended by the task force are screenings for lung, cervical and colorectal cancers, as well as diabetes; statin medications to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke; and medication to prevent HIV, known as PrEP.—
Melissa Quinn
June 9,
CBS News,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
Though House approval is still needed, the Senate vote marked a major hurdle, because the stadium incentives stalled there last month.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 June 2025
-
Diagnosis Delays Hurt Women’s Outcomes Even before a clinical trial is an option, women face significant hurdles in getting a diagnosis.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
As far as the lack of democratization, the current state of supply chains presents a high barrier to entry for small businesses who want to integrate with larger retailers or access global networks.—
Shekar Natarajan,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
Use waterproof barriers, such as special ointments or creams, to protect the skin from direct contact with water.—
Sarah Jividen,
Verywell Health,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
It is considered one of the most impressive defensive structures from the Italian Renaissance.—
Elisabetta Tosi,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
-
Since the appointment of Miguel Cardoso at the end of last year, the Portuguese coach has introduced more defensive discipline and a greater focus on set pieces.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Salivary Blockages Blockages or obstructions to the salivary glands may also cause mouth dryness because saliva doesn't flow as easily to the mouth.10 7.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
6 June 2025
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Pullman and Lynch were convicted by a federal jury of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
The press had assembled to watch Earhart soar, and instead witnessed an embarrassment.—
Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
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King, whose chapter represents Treasury employees in the D.C. area, accused the national union of just hoping the internal problem goes away, and instead the issue is creating an embarrassment.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deterrent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deterrent. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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